


Love and Obsession

by SilverStrings



Series: Robin Hood [2]
Category: Death Note
Genre: F/M, Mentions of Blood, Mild Sexual Content, Psychological Trauma, Sexual Situations, Strong Language, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-05
Updated: 2016-07-14
Packaged: 2018-05-24 21:32:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 29
Words: 124,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6167500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverStrings/pseuds/SilverStrings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Love is a word we are all familiar with and it comes in many forms. It is the warmth in your chest as you speak with your beloved. It is your unconditional care for those you hold dear. The oft forgotten, yet strongest and most essential form of love is your own acceptance of your flaws and forgiveness of your mistakes—though it may be the most difficult form to achieve.</p><p>Obsession likes to present itself as love. It hides under that mask—sometimes even fooling the wearer into believing its ruse—but unconditional, mutual love can never be born from its roots.</p><p>The course of your life has directed you away from these experiences until now. As you find yourself working yet another case for L, you will come face to face with romance for the first time—your feelings caught between two men. One represents passion and protection in this crazy line of work, while the other represents the normal life you wished to return to. It probably doesn't help that the "normal" one is suspected of being a mass murderer. Not to mention the fact that rampant hormones do nothing but complicate things.</p><p>Ah, the life of a teenaged genius.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Friend or Foe?

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, and thank you for giving this story a chance. Before we begin, there are a few important notes that you should be aware of. If you have read my other fanfiction, _The Fawn,_ you will notice that the plot roughly coincides with this one. _Love and Obsession_ is actually much closer to the original version, which was an interactive reader-insert with multiple love interests and endings. However, there is no interactivity past the insert nor are there multiple endings here. Should you wish to read the highly interactive version, you can find it [here](https://www.quotev.com/quiz/3921142/The-Fawn-0-A-Death-Note-RP).
> 
> This is an _alternate universe_ fanfiction in which Mello, Near, and Matt are three years older than canon, leaving Light and Mello only a few months apart in age. Major character birthdays will be noted in author's notes at the beginning of each chapter.
> 
>  _ **Regarding the reader-insert:**_  
>  As with other such stories, a few assumptions will be made for consistency:  
> 1\. The reader is assumed to be a female.  
> 2\. The reader is assumed to be roughly 17-18 years old at the beginning of the story.
> 
> Similarly, there are a few predetermined skills and history points for the reader:  
> 1\. Proficiency in self-defense  
> 2\. Technological expertise  
> 3\. An alias
> 
> Your name, appearance, and place of birth are left up to you. Whether you choose to imagine yourself, an idealized version of yourself, or something else entirely is up to you. Name blanks and other descriptive blanks will not be used. Personally, I feel that they detract from the illusion of insertion, so other methods will be used.
> 
>  _ **Warnings** to keep in mind before you read include:_  
>  • Strong language  
> • Death and some descriptions of its cause  
> • Mentions of blood  
> • Descriptions of violence  
> • Psychological trauma  
> • Sexual situations
> 
> If you would feel uncomfortable reading any of these, I suggest that you don't continue reading. Otherwise, I hope that you enjoy the story~!

*** * * December 11 * * ***

It was a cool winter's afternoon in Washington DC. The sun was hidden behind a veil of clouds, though that didn't stop groups of eager tourists from exploring the streets below. The city was filled with important buildings, some familiar icons and others that simply blended in. One of those seemingly-invisible buildings contained two individuals who were hand-picked by L and Watari as potential successors to the great detective.  

The main investigation room was lit by dozens of computer screens, silhouetting the two young prodigies. On the left sat a boy whose white clothes and pale complexion made him stand out in the dark room. At the young age of seventeen he still hadn't hit his full adult height, and the way he slouched as he sat made him look even shorter than he already was. Being the anti-social person that he was, the teen was comfortable sitting there in his pajamas. He wore socks to warm his cold toes, but didn't bother to wear shoes. He twirled his white hair around his finger as he stared intently at the screens before him.  

His partner wasn't much older than him, and he had gotten to know quite a lot about her during their two-year partnership. While she went by her alias when it came to interacting with anyone other than the investigators, she seemed to prefer the use of her real name in his presence: something odd to the young man who grew up as Near.

 

You were sitting to his right as you watched the computer screens. As you glanced over to Near, you recalled when you first found out about the nature of your partnership. After you were tested by Watari, the old man found you to be among the intelligence and skill levels of the top four students at the Wammy House Orphanage, an English orphanage dedicated to raising children to be able to succeed L when he passes. No one knew who L was – except for Watari – but the children of the orphanage worked hard to eventually gain the rights to the name. When you signed your contract, Watari explained to you that a plan was made for the top four students of the Wammy House to be split into two teams to work on cases that the great detective didn't have time to. This would work not only as an aid to the great detective, but also as a final method to determine who his successor would be.

Shaking your head, you drew yourself out of your nostalgic thoughts and focused on the task at hand. It had been seven months since you and Near were assigned to this case, and you were in the final stages of the investigation. Pictured on the monitors were the real-time movements of the main suspects to the case you were working on. It was a nation-wide Ponzi scheme that you and Near had tracked to be much older than your partnership. This had been your most difficult case yet, but you believed that your contributions had finally led Near to trust you and your skills.

All that was left was to completely log out the daily routines of your suspects to plan how to arrest all of them at the exact same time. Once that was done, you and Near would have your new hire, Gevanni, aid the police in arresting the suspects all at the same time. Your attention landed on the leader of the Ponzi scheme for a moment before all of the screens went blank.

You felt all blood drain from your face as you watched on helplessly. _Oh my God. Please tell me that they didn't trace my virus._

Before you could reach a full-blown panic, a familiar "L" appeared on the screens. You couldn't help your sigh as you felt your body relax. _That's right. He always does this._ With that aside, a new thought seeded itself in your mind. Why was L bothering to contact your team in the first place? Interactions with the detective were a rare occurrence, so it must have been important.

The scrambled voice of L rang out in the room as he addressed the team. "Good afternoon Eraldo Coil. Unfortunately for you two, this is not a leisure call." You and Near exchanged glances as L continued. "Team Deneuve has been failing their mission in Los Angeles, and I need the both of you out there to clean up their mess."  

While you didn't want to provoke L, you were certain that Near wouldn't take action.

You picked up the microphone before warily explaining, "Sir, we haven't finished our case yet. If you could just give us a bit more time..."

"I am aware of that," L's mechanical voice replied. "Since your team is close to finishing your assignment, I will be sending you to Los Angeles while Near stays here and completes the case."  

You tightened your lips into a thin line as you glanced to your partner. _Well, I guess he'll be alright. I remember hearing that he was the top rated successor anyway... but what about me?_

L continued as a map with a red star appeared on the screen. "You will meet your new partners here at 9:00pm precisely. Your flight leaves in two hours."

With that said the 'L' disappeared, and the screens returned to the suspects. A few moments passed before you sighed and rose from your seat.

As you began to walk out of the monitor room, Near called out to you. "I have known the people who work as Deneuve for a long time. Mello will not be very receptive of you if he knows that you work with me."

Your shoulders drooped as you let out a quiet, "Oh, dear..."

 

By the time you arrived in Los Angeles, the sun had already dipped below the horizon. After retrieving your bag from the luggage claim, you stepped outside to hail a taxicab. As you emerged from the airport, you took note that the cool night air of Los Angeles felt like the same temperature as Washington DC when you left. After getting into the cab and telling the driver where you needed to go, it sped off into the night. It took a while to reach your meeting point, and you had the cab driver drop you off a few blocks away for cautionary reasons. After paying him in cash, you grabbed your bag and walked the rest of the way.

The streets were nearly barren in this area, but you looked around to make sure no one was looking before you turned into the alley where you were supposed to meet the team. A small strip of moonlight was your only relief from the shadows that covered the alleyway. You glanced around the alley only to find no one in sight.  You took a deep breath to calm your rising nerves as you tried to give yourself a pep-talk. _It's okay. You'll be fine. Deneuve is supposed to be really good with field investigations, so they'll probably just put you on analysis duty..._ You nodded to yourself. _That would be nice – nicer than that other kind of investigating, anyway._ A short chuckle escaped your lips. _How did I get myself into this mess?_

Halfway down the alley, you checked your watch. It was nine o'clock exactly, so where were they? As you looked back up, you heard the pounding footsteps of someone racing toward you. A wave of panic surged through your body as you caught a glimpse of a hooded man in the corner of your eye, rapidly approaching.  Your eyes widened as you leaned back and jumped out of the way, watching as the man's fist just barely missed your face. Adrenaline coursed through your veins, slowing your perception of time as you watched your opponent retract his fist and turn his body toward you.

A snarl was the only aspect of his face that you could see as he raised his fist to throw another punch at you.Your heart raced as your eyes widened and you found yourself shaking uncontrollably. You threw your arms in front of you to block the fist from reaching your core as you squeezed your eyes shut. The man's fist slammed into your arms, pushing you back as you struggled to remain standing. A frightened squeak came out of your mouth as you saw him charging at you again. You rolled out of the way of his fist and swept out your leg, knocking him onto his back. He let out a grunt as he hit the ground. You quickly got up and backed away before he could get closer. As he stood up, you found the most vicious glare you had ever seen was now present on his face.

He advanced at you again, continuing your deadly dance along the moonlit alley. Glancing blow after glancing blow, you found yourself keeping up with him, but just barely. You could feel yourself tiring, unused to fights with someone so skilled. You struggled against it, but your movements were becoming more sluggish, more delayed. You would have to end this soon if you didn't want to end up dead or hospitalized. The attacker planted his foot in between you as he pulled the other one behind him. Your eyes widened as you recognized the stance. You tried to lean out of the way, but he was too fast. He launched his leg up as he pivoted to the side. His shin slammed into the side of your head, sending you flying to the ground.

Your head was throbbing, and you could no longer think straight. You shakily tried to push yourself up only to collapse under your own weight. The sound of a metallic click caught your attention. You rolled onto your side and looked up to find yourself staring down the barrel of your attacker's gun. Your breath got caught in your throat as a wave of dread passed over you.

A voice rang out from down the alley. "What the Hell are you doing?!"  

You glanced over to see a man with bright red hair running toward you. When your gaze returned to your attacker, you saw that the newcomer had captured his attention – though, his gun was still trained on you. With your own attention no longer focused on the gun, you took note that his hood had fallen down at some point in their fight, revealing his face. His straight, blond hair stopped about an inch above his shoulders. His skin was peach, and his blue eyes were narrowed as he looked at the newcomer.  

He appeared to recognize the redhead and growled, "Ryuzaki told me that this guy has been following us and is interfering with the case!"

As the newcomer reached you and the blond man, he gestured to you with an exasperated look. _"'This guy'_ is our new partner!"

You frowned as you came to the realization, _They must be Deneuve..._

Your attacker was about to retort when his phone rang. Keeping the weapon pointed at you with one hand, the blond fished his phone out of his pocket with the other and answered it. After a short pause as he listened to the caller, he narrowed his eyes and lowered the gun.  

As the blond walked away to talk, the redhead helped you sit up.

"Sorry about that. I'm Matt, one of your new partners."  

"I can't thank you enough for saving me back there, Matt." You smiled and shook his hand as you introduced yourself by your given name before adding, "Though, you might know me as Robin."

As Matt helped you stand up, you took in his appearance. He wore a tan, fur-lined vest over a black and white stripped shirt. Dark goggles sat over his eyes, the straps hidden under his messy red hair.

The blond man returned with his phone in his pocket and his eyes narrowed. Matt raised a questioning eyebrow at the man.

"You know damn well what he said!" the blond snapped.

As you realized that the call must have been L revealing the truth, Matt addressed the blond and gestured at you. "Meet our new partner, Robin."

The blond promptly laughed before commenting, "With a weak name like that, it's no wonder that you suck at fighting."

With your mouth moving ahead of your thoughts, you asked, "And you are?"

He folded his arms over his chest. "Mello."

"That sounds just about as threatening as a pacifist, but we both know that's obviously not true either," you retorted. "As for my name, I find it that the more the other guy underestimates me, the easier it is to win."

The moment you shut your mouth, you felt blood drain from your cheeks. _Oh God. Why did I say that?_

Mello glared at you, his fists clenched so hard that his arms were shaking. He took a step closer so that he was right in your face.

As he spoke, his voice was low and seething in anger. "You had better consider yourself lucky, pal, because if it weren't for the fact that Ryuzaki said we have to work together, I would be beating you to a pulp right now. I'll let it slide this time, but if you try to insult me again –if you so much as get in my way–I'll be sending your corpse back to that _brat_ you work with."

You felt shivers crawl down your spine at his words, and you immediately regretted your own. Mello backed away before walking down the alley to where he had parked his motorcycle.

Matt watched as Mello pulled out of the alley before addressing you. "I wouldn't suggest doing anything like that again. Mello can be pretty violent if you get on his bad side."  

You exhaled a shaky breath. "I-I can see that."

Matt smiled at you as he added, "He's a pretty cool guy if you're on his good side, though." 

You gave the redhead a weak smile. "I guess I'll just have to take your word for it." 

"Well, we'd better get you back to HQ."

 

A man watched carefully from a dark room as the motorcycle drove off into the night. His full attention was on the girl who the rider had just fought with: his newest opponent. As the young woman spoke to the redhead, he took in her exhausted appearance. His lips curved into cheshire-like grin as she followed the boy to the car, wobbling with each step she took. He looked just above her head to see that which only he could see.

"Well, well," he quietly cooed. "So that's the true identity of our little Robin."

He silently plugged the numbers that floated above her head into the equation that he had gotten so accustomed to using. His smile grew even wider as he held back his cackle in favor of keeping his silence.

"Perfect."  


	2. LABB 2.0

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter you will be briefed on the case Deneuve is working on. While the details are not important for a passive reading session, there is a puzzle that you can try to solve using the information. With that in mind, I will include the information in its own chapter. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

The first several minutes of the drive were drowned in an awkward silence. As you watched the buildings go by on that dark night, you noticed that most of them were hotels.

Matt was the first to break through with an amused tone. "So, you're Robin, huh?"

He waited for your response, but heard nothing. You were absentmindedly staring out the window as if he hadn't said anything, your mind a complete blank.

"Uh, Robin? You okay?"

Another few moments passed before his words registered in your mind. 

"Huh?" You jolted up as you tensed. "Sorry, um... what did you-"

As his first statement made itself clear in your mind, you couldn't help but frown. Why did it take you so long to realize that he was talking to you? Not only was it unlike you to stray from conversation like that, but it was downright foolish given that you were the only other person in the car.

You shook your head as you realized that you were keeping him waiting again. "Sorry... I'm still not used to that alias entirely. I would prefer to go by my first name when we're not with officers, if that's okay with you."

He raised an eyebrow. "You sure? That's kind of dangerous in our line of work."

A sigh escaped your lips. "I know, it's just hard to get used to. You guys all spent years doing it before the Wammy Teams were established, but I've gone by my name my whole life – and L was the one who chose my alias anyway, so I'm just not used to answering to it."

You furrowed your eyebrows. _Getting repetitive, aren't we?_

When you looked over to the redhead, you caught an odd look on his face. He was smiling slightly, but it didn't seem entirely happy. His eyes were sad and the smile... nostalgic? Why were you having such trouble with this? Between you and Near, you made up for his lack of ability to read people by being so good at detecting even the slightest emotional change in a face.

Matt's voice drew you out of your thoughts. "That's fine; I understand. I'll let Mello know, alright?"

"Right..." You shuddered as the memory of his threat resurfaced in your mind. "Hey, Matt?"

"Yeah?"

You nervously wrung your hands. "Do you think he'll still be mad?"

There was a short silence as he avoided something you couldn't make out in the middle of the road.

"Well... you probably don't want to hear this, but he'll still be pretty pissed when we get there," he admitted. "He'll get over it, though– well, eventually he will. Don't tell him I said this, but Mello has been pretty stressed out because of how little we've progressed in the case. It'll probably take a while for him to unwind. Try not to take it personally."

You nodded to yourself before something resurfaced in your mind. "Hey, Matt?"

"Yeah?"

You furrowed your eyebrows. "Why did you ask if I was Robin? Didn't I introduce myself?"

The older teen laughed. "I was just trying to get a conversation started. Besides, ever since I read about my mysterious intended-partner, I've been curious about what she was like. It's cool to finally meet you, though."

Your eyes widened and you couldn't help but lean away as far as your seatbelt would allow. "How did you know about that?"

"Oh, come on. The file says we have a few skills in common. Don't tell me that you didn't get curious and try to hack the boss' files too? How else could you have known?" he teased with a smirk. 

You relaxed as the corners of your lips twitched upward and a short chuckle escaped your lips. "Yeah... I guess I should have seen that one coming."

The car then slowed down as Matt pulled into one of the parking lots next to what was presumably Mello's motorcycle. As he shut off the car, you looked up at the building. It appeared to be about five or six stories tall. While it didn't exactly look like a five star hotel, it didn't look like a dump either.

You opened your car door and stepped outside while Matt did the same. As you tried to walk toward the entrance, a wave of dizziness washed over you. You put a hand against your throbbing head as you winced, leaning against the car as you tried to regain your balance. The redhead noticed and walked around to you.

The young man put a hand on your shoulder. "Hey, do you want some help?"

You carefully stood again as you smiled apologetically at him. "No thank you, I'll be fine." 

Matt took his hand off your shoulder and locked the car before you both started walking toward the hotel entrance. After only a few steps, you started wavering again and tripped over your own two feet. Before you landed on the ground, you felt a pair of arms wrap around your waist, stabilizing you.

As he helped you stand, he commented, "Come on, we're all on the same team here. There's no need to lie, especially if it's obvious that you need help."

You looked down in shame. "Sorry."

As the other hacker put his arm around your waist, you reached up and put an arm around his shoulders. You both slowly made your way into the hotel lobby, where the strong scent of chlorinated pool-water filled the air. The redhead directed you into a small elevator, which climbed to the third floor before letting you out. He then led you to a room halfway down the hall and opened the door.

The first things you saw as you walked in were copious computer screens lining the counters of the room. You looked around and saw a door to the bathroom, a small closet, a door that you assumed led to a bedroom, and a small kitchen. After shedding your coat and other outerwear, Matt helped you across the room to a couch and a pair of chairs surrounding a small coffee table. The couch was occupied by Mello, who was eating a bar of chocolate while holding a couch pillow to his side in a feeble attempt to hide what seemed to be an ice pack.

Matt gestured toward the chairs as he addressed you. "Go ahead and grab yourself a seat. I'll get you some ice, and then we'll brief you on the case." 

As the redhead walked into the kitchen, you sat down in the chair across from Mello. You smiled awkwardly at the blond – almost apologetically – but he just glared daggers at you as he munched on his chocolate bar.

After a few minutes, the redhead returned with a pack of frozen peas and a stack of manila folders. He passed between you and Mello as he handed you the peas and spread the folders out on the table. You quickly thanked him, relieved that he broke some of the tension.

Matt sat down between the two of you and handed you one of the case files before he began. "The murders have been spread out over the past six months, but we've only been investigating since August. There were three murders in the time before we began our investigation."

You opened a folder to find data and images from the first murder. The scene was gruesome, so you decided to give the files a more thorough look later.

"The victims were all completely unalike, each different age groups, sexes, ethnicities, you name it – if it could be different, it was different. I'll let you read the specifics on your own later." Matt pointed to the folders on the table before continuing. "Each of the crime scenes had two things in common: all fingerprints on the scene were wiped clean, and each scene had a typed message written in a cipher. It was too difficult for the cops to decode, so they called in L."

You pursed your lips. _It's obvious that the culprit wants us to know that the killings are all tied to him, so why make all the victims different?_

The redhead smirked. "Back at Wammy's, we had some pretty advanced training in coding and decoding, among other things."

Mello's eyebrow twitched as he snapped, "Quit your bragging and just get on with it."

Matt laughed at his best friend before getting back on topic. "Anyway, when we got our hands on the messages, it still took us a month to find the key to decoding them. Luckily for us, it was the same cipher for each message. The problem is that none the messages made any sense. Most of them were quotes from some sort of movie or fairy tale. If anything, they seem to be a taunt to us, and L."

He stopped, allowing the newest investigator to take all of the information in. You sat there silently as you thought. _If all the victims were different, I guess that proves that it's not a hate crime and that he probably didn't know any of them. Just random killings... unless they have some tie that Matt and Mello didn't find yet. I guess that's something I could work on. But those messages..._

You glanced up at your temporary partners. _They were difficult to decipher even for these two, and they had extensive training in code breaking. The contents of the messages make it seem like the culprit didn't mean for them to be solved, though I could be wrong. They still had to be included for some reason._

Your eyebrows sunk downward as a frown tugged at your lips. _I'm so stupid. Why didn't I see this before? The culprit included these messages to draw in L, who is well-known to only take on cases that interest him. Even so, creating such difficult codes must be an incredibly rare skill. The LAPD probably looked into all the government-employed ones before they called in Deneuve. Still..._ You glanced to the men before you. _They received training at Wammy's in this. Perhaps it wouldn't be too far a stretch to say that this culprit did too. From what I understand, Wammy's is very centered around L, so it would make sense for a disenchanted student to be obsessed with him._ Your eyes narrowed slightly as your own experiences came to mind. _Of course, that's not to say that it's impossible for someone else to teach themselves if they started young enough... Well, as they say, the simplest explanation is most often correct, but I don't want to offend them – especially Mello._

"Has anyone from Wammy's ever gone rogue?" you cautiously asked.

Mello raised his eyebrow and exchanged glances with Matt.

The redhead then smiled before asking, "Ever hear of the Wara Ningyo murder cases?"

You shook your head.

"Well, a few years ago there was a case in which three people were killed, each with a number of Wara Ningyo dolls nailed to the walls. People started calling them the Wara Ningyo murders, but we know it as LABB," Matt explained. "Like this case, each of the murders were different, all fingerprints were wiped from the scene, and the victims were not connected – though, our current case has more of a variety. Anyway, the last 'victim' was the culprit, who attempted suicide to create the perfect crime that even L couldn't solve.

"The culprit's name was Beyond Birthday, one of the first children brought up at Wammy's to succeed L. He was a genius, but because of his obsession with beating our esteemed detective, he ran away, planning this 'perfect crime'. Beyond was caught and jailed by L with the help of an FBI agent named Naomi Misora, but he recently escaped prison. The guards covered it up and still claim that he's in prison, but their surveillance videos say otherwise." He winked. "L found out and sent us here to solve the case that was obviously Beyond's new challenge to L" 

You gulped as a frown became evident on your features. _I'm definitely more worried now. Not only is he violent and unpredictable, but he has the intellect of a genius._

After taking a deep breath to calm your rising nerves, you asked, "So, all of the murders have happened in Los Angeles, right?"

"Right," the redhead confirmed.

"He's probably staying close by, then," you concluded. "Have you guys checked all the buildings yet?"

"We've checked what we could, but the cops didn't like the idea of us doing it without a warrant," Matt explained. "It's a little tough to get things like that done with just the two of us here. But, from what we were able to cover, we did find out that Beyond has a few safe houses around the city. They're always pretty close to his victims."

You frowned slgihtly. "How do you know they belonged to him and not someone else?"

"The weapons we found at the locations matched the ones that were used to kill his victims, and the blood on them matched the victim's DNA too." He paused for a moment before adding, "Well, that and all the strawberry jam."

You couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, your tone slightly amused. "Strawberry jam?"

"Yeah, that was practically all he ever ate back at Wammy's."

"Oh..." You couldn't help but think back to Near and his toys. I guess everyone from Wammy's seems to have that one thing they're obsessed with.

After a few moments of silence between the group, Matt stood up and announced, "Well, I'm going to go order us some pizza." He called out your name, catching your attention. "You should get reading on those files." 

You nodded before opening the folder and beginning your long night.

*** * * December 12 * * ***

You groggily opened your eyes before furrowing your eyebrows and glancing around in a daze. You found yourself sitting in a chair in a strange room, manila folders scattered around you. There was an empty pizza box on the floor and a warm pack of peas next to you. As you looked down at your lap, your gaze landed on the pictures of a bloody crime scene, pushing your heart into overdrive as you gasped and accidentally tossed the folder a few inches.

A few moments passed as you stared at the images scattered on the floor before you swallowed hard. "Right... the Deneuve investigation."

With this recalled, you noted that your head had finally stopped hurting. You scanned the room more thoroughly before your eyes landed a familiar redhead sitting at a nearby desk with his laptop open.

Matt looked over to you with a grin as he playfully greeted, "Good morning, sleeping beauty."

A slight blush rose to your cheeks before you asked, "What time is it?"

"About nine thirty," he told you. "You fell asleep when you were sifting through the photos, and I figured I would let you sleep."

You blinked owlishly in disbelief. _That's past noon back in DC! How could I have slept so late? That's the total opposite of how my jet lag should be._

With a slight frown, you pushed your concerns to the back of your mind. You didn't want to be a burden on the team. Instead, you looked around the room in search of the temperamental blond, brows furrowed together when you saw no one else.

Matt pointed to the bedroom door. "Mello's sleeping too, but on the bed." He closed his laptop and walked toward the kitchen as he added, "Anyway, we should probably get some breakfast."

"I guess I am pretty hungry," you mumbled to yourself.

As you walked into the small kitchen, he instructed, "Just take what you want. You'll have to make it yourself, though."

You nodded slightly before checking the cabinets and refrigerator. After preparing yourself your meal, you sat down at the dining table next to the other computer genius. Not long had passed before a leather-clad man joined the pair at the table. Mello brought a thick fog of tension to the table, so breakfast between you was silent. When everyone was finished and ready to start investigating again, Mello's phone began to ring.

The blond answered it and was silent as the person on the other line spoke. A few minutes passed before he assured the caller that he would be on his way soon. You raised an eyebrow, but didn't ask the question on your mind.

Mello looked over to Matt as he explained, "They found two more scenes with encoded messages. They're on opposite sides of town, though, so we'll need to split up to cover them both."

You furrowed your eyebrows, ignoring the men as they discussed how to get to the locations. _Two messages on the same day? That hasn't happened before. Something's not right._

"I'll go with Robin," Matt offered.

Mello's eyes narrowed. "What the Hell do you mean you'll go with her?"

"Well, she can't go alone, and you're the reason why." The redhead gestured to the bruise on your head. "Frankly, I don't think you two would get along well enough to investigate a scene together. Besides, I want to see how well my intended-partner works with me."

The blond narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips before hissing, "Fine."

You winced as he slammed the door shut before sighing, "This is just going to make him hate me more, isn't it?"

Matt shrugged his shoulders. "It shouldn't be a big deal. It's only temporary – it's not like we're trading partners or anything. Besides, I'm allowed to be curious whenever I want. He'll get over it."

"You keep saying that, but I don't see it happening," you pointed out.

The redhead opened his mouth before a thoughtful look crossed his face. "Point taken."

With that said, the computer geniuses left the hotel.

As Matt drove off he explained, "We have a deal with the police that whenever they call us in, they have to leave the scene alone for an hour to give us time to investigate unseen. By the time that we get there we won't have too long, since this scene is particularly far away."

You waited for a moment as you processed the information. "It's good that they give us privacy to investigate, but isn't leaving the scene unattended for so long dangerous? This Beyond person was a Wammy student, so..."

"I'm sure we'll be fine."

The rest of the ride was silent as you immersed yourself in thought. _I hope this isn't as bad as some of those other scenes._ You nervously swallowed a gulp. _Oh, who am I kidding? Someone was killed. There's no way this will be easy to look at._

After parking in front of a small house, Matt tossed you a box filled with latex gloves and shoe covers. You raised a questioning eyebrow at him.

"You'll need these," he explained. "You don't want to contaminate the scene and end up one of the suspects, do ya?"

You hesitated. "Right..."

As you donned the gloves and shoe covers, you couldn't ignore your pounding heart. Still, this was part of the job and you had to go through with it. Matt pulled out a camera and stepped out of the car, followed closely by you.

"So, I guess we take our own pictures, and we get the police pictures later on?" you nervously asked.

"Right." 

You closed the front door behind you before looking around the interior of the front room.

Matt's voice drew you out of your head. "We won't be looking over every single detail –we'll let the forensics team do that. We are here just to get a look at the scene and the message or anything that we know would point to Beyond."

"Okay."

After scanning the room and deciding that there was nothing to find, you took a left into the kitchen. You froze in the doorway as your gaze locked onto the scene. There was blood everywhere, soaking the floor and the walls. Your stomach churned as you felt your own blood draining from your face, unable to so much as draw in breath. A hammer was placed on the only clean counter with a sheet of paper neatly tucked underneath. You placed a shaky hand against the door frame to stabilize yourself as you desperately– unsucessfully– tried to pry your gaze from the bloodshed.

Matt frowned before snapping up the camera. "Smile~!"

The flash drew you out of your stupor and you looked up at him.

He smiled softly and reassured you, "We won't be here for long. I just need to get a few pictures and we can go."

You smiled weakly and nodded. You stepped aside to the redhead into the kitchen and took a deep breath to clear your mind before joining Matt in looking for any important details. After he finished taking his pictures, you both returned to the car and left.

When you got back to the room, Matt immediately plugged the camera into a computer and printed the pictures. Mello returned with his own camera shortly after and did the same. Once both sets of images were printed, the trio of investigators gathered around the dining table to sift through them.

The blond was the first to speak up. "Both messages are the same, but they are in a different format than usual." He then turned to Matt. "Hey, see if they can be translated by the same key."

The redhead took the pictures as he stood up. "Can do, my friend."

As he walked over to his laptop, you noticed that he printed the picture that he had taken of you. You frowned as you plucked the picture from the pile. _Why did he have to print this?_ You scrunched your nose at your sickly complexion, unhappy to have such an embarrassing moment caught on camera. A light blush came to your cheeks as you realized that you were still wearing the same clothes as yesterday. Just when you were about to toss the photo in the trash, your eyes caught something unusual in the background.

_Is that...?_

You asked aloud, "What does Beyond look like?"

Matt looked up, brows furrowed. Mello reached across the table and snatched the photograph from your grasp. You pursed your lips and watched the leather-clad man as he stared at the background of the image in his hands. Sure enough, passing by the window in the room behind you was the escapee himself: Beyond Birthday.

Mello tossed the photo aside as he grabbed his keys and sprinted out the door. Several minutes later, Matt's program translated the new message. When you helped him looked over it, you realized just how different this one was from the past ten. Rather than sentences, this message translated into an odd code:

>   
>  _one-four-three_  
>  six-five-five  
>  six-three-six  
>    
>  two-four-one  
>  seven-one-three  
>  nine-eight-two  
>  five-nine-five  
>  five-four-two  
>    
>  three-ten-two  
>  four-twelve-one  
>    
>  ten-twelve-four  
>  eight-one-nine  
>  one-two-two  
>  two-eleven-five  
>  eight-six-three  
>  nine-one-seven  
>  three-sixteen-one  
>    
>  one-two-two  
>  four-twelve-six  
>    
>  five-five-one  
>  ten-three-four  
>  three-fourteen-one  
>  seven-seven-one

Matt frowned. "What the Hell...?"


	3. -Case Summary-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this extra chapter you will find the contents of the folder that Matt handed to you in your briefings – excluding the pictures, of course. You will also find the information that was included about the scenes you visited the following day. Should you wish to try to solve that final message, you will find this information useful. If you haven't read that yet, please go and read Chapter 2.

**-CASE 1-**

_Date of Death:_ June 26  
_Race:_  Caucasian  
_Sex:_ Male  
_Age:_  34 years  
_Cause of Death:_  Multiple lacerations to the chest  
_Manner of Death:_  Homicide

_**Officer's Notes:**_  
The victim was homeless and had a history of alcoholism. The body was found in an alley.  

**_Mello's Notes:_**  
_Marital Status:_  Single  
_Sexual Orientation:_ Unknown  
_Translated message:_  "The king has returned."

 

  
**-CASE 2-**   

_Date of Death:_ July 17  
_Race:_ Hispanic  
_Sex:_  Female  
_Age:_  53 years  
_Cause of Death:_  Blunt-force trauma to the head  
_Manner of Death:_ Homicide

_**Officer's Notes:**_  
The victim was on vacation. The body was found in an alley outside her hotel.  

_**Mello's Notes:**_  
_Marital Status:_ Divorced  
_Sexual Orientation:_  Homosexual (Bisexual? Conflicting reports.)    
_Translated Message:_ "Things are not quite so simple always as black and white."

_**Matt's Notes:**_  
+3 weeks from the last murder  

 

  
**-CASE 3-**   

_Date of Death:_ August 7  
_Race:_  African American  
_Sex:_  Female  
_Age:_  17 years  
_Cause of Death:_  Deep laceration across the throat  
_Manner of Death:_  Homicide  

_**Officer's Notes:**_  
The victim was a waitress at a local café. She was disowned by her family and had been living with her girlfriend's family for two years. The body was found near the café.

_**Mello's Notes:**_  
_Marital Status:_  Dating  
_Sexual Orientation:_ Homosexual    
_Translated Message:_  "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."

_**Matt's Notes:**_  
+3 weeks from the last murder  

 

  
**-CASE 4-**   

_Date of Death:_  August 28  
_Race:_  Native American  
_Sex:_ Male  
_Age:_  76 years  
_Cause of Death:_ Poison  
_Manner of Death:_ Homicide  

**_Officer's Notes:_**  
The victim was retired. The body found in his home.

_**Mello's Notes:**_  
_Marital Status:_  Married  
_Sexual Orientation:_  Heterosexual  
_Translated Message:_  "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who in this land is the fairest of all?"

_**Matt's Notes:**_  
+3 weeks

 

  
**-CASE 5-**  

_Date of Death:_ September 18  
_Race:_  Hispanic  
Sex: Male  
_Age:_  48 years  
_Cause of Death:_  Shot to the head  
_Manner of Death:_ Homicide

**_Officer's Notes:_**  
The victim had four children. He was a gardener, and recently gained US citizenship. The body was found near the home of a client. 

_**Mello's Notes:**_  
_Marital Status:_  Married  
_Sexual Orientation:_ Heterosexual    
_Translated Message:_ "My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."

_**Matt's Notes:**_  
+3 weeks  

 

  
**-CASE 6-**   

_Date of Death:_  October 9  
_Race:_  Caucasian  
_Sex:_ Male  
_Age:_  23 years  
_Cause of Death:_  Electrocution  
_Manner of Death:_ Homicide

**_Officer's Notes:_**  
The victim was in a relationship with a man and was undergoing the transition . His family supported him. He worked at a gay bar as a bar tender. The body was found in his home.  

_**Mello's Notes:**_  
_Marital Status:_  Dating  
_Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity:_  Transgender  woman, into guys  
_Translated Message:_  "You can't handle the truth!"

_**Matt's Notes:**_  
+2 weeks  
Getting closer together.  
Intended or not?

 

  
**-CASE 7-**   

_Date of Death:_ October 23  
_Race:_  Asian  
_Sex:_  Female  
_Age:_  39 years  
_Cause of Death:_ Asphyxiation  
_Manner of Death:_  Homicide

**_Officer's Notes:_**  
The victim was beginning her political career. She was a member of the town council as a Republican. The body was found outside her car.  

_**Mello's Notes:**_  
_Marital Status:_  Single  
_Sexual Orientation:_ Bisexual    
_Translated Message:_ "Young fool. Only now, at the end, do you understand."  

_**Matt's Notes:**_  
+2 weeks    
Same as before  
 

 

  
**-CASE 8-**   

_Date of Death:_ November 6  
_Race:_  Caucasian  
_Sex:_ Male  
_Age:_  62 years  
_Cause of Death:_ Multiple shots to the head and chest  
_Manner of Death:_ Homicide

**_Officer's Notes:_**  
The victim was a Russian military veteran. He was visiting the United States to see a friend. The body was found en route from a bar to the hotel with high blood-alcohol levels. A struggle was apparent at the scene.  

_**Mello's Notes:**_  
_Marital Status:_  Divorced  
_Sexual Orientation:_ Heterosexual    
_Translated Message:_ "Grandmother, what great teeth you have!"  

_**Matt's Notes:**_  
+2 weeks    
New pattern= +2 weeks

 

  
**-CASE 9-**  

_Date of Death:_  November 20  
_Race:_ Asian  
_Sex:_  Female  
_Age:_  16 years  
_Cause of Death:_ Stab wound through the heart  
_Manner of Death:_ Homicide  

_**Officer's Notes:**_  
The victim was a high school dropout. She lived with her boyfriend and was jobless. The body was found in the boyfriend's house.

_**Mello's Notes:**_  
_Marital Status:_  Dating  
_Sexual Orientation:_ Heterosexual  
_Translated Message:_ "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair for me."

_**Matt's Notes:**_  
+2 weeks  

 

  
**-CASE 10-**   

_Date of Death:_ December 4  
_Race:_ Hispanic  
_Sex:_ Male  
_Age:_  67 years  
_Cause of Death:_  Blunt force trauma to the head  
_Manner of Death:_  Homicide  

_**Officer's Notes:**_  
The victim worked as a security guard at a local baseball park. The body was found in an alley outside a local bar with impairment drugs in the system.

_**Mello's Notes:**_  
_Marital Status:_  Single  
_Sexual Orientation:_  Unknown    
_Translated Message:_  "Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio: a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy."

_**Matt's Notes:**_  
+2 weeks  

 

**-CASE 11-**

_Date of Death:_ December 11  
_Race:_  Caucasian  
_Sex:_  Male  
_Cause of Death:_ Shot to the head  
_Manner of Death:_  Homicide

_**Officer's Notes:**_  
The body was found in the morning, but the murder happened in the middle of the night. No struggle apparent at the scene. Victim was likely asleep at the time of the murder. Only form of identification was his military ID tag. Working to locate family.

**_Mello's Notes:_**  
_Marital Status:_  Unknown  
_Sexual Orientation:_  Unknown

**-CASE 12-**

_Date of Death:_ December 12  
_Race:_ Caucasian  
_Sex:_  Female  
_Cause of Death:_ Blunt force trauma to the head and body  
_Manner of Death:_  Homicide

_**Officer's Notes:**_  
The victim just recently moved here and had no apparent friends or enemies in LA. Trying to contact mother in Georgia.

**_Mello's Notes:_**  
_Marital Status:_  Single  
_Sexual Orientation:_  Pansexual according to online profile

**-CASES 11 & 12-**

**_Matt's Notes:_**  
+1 week, increasing frequency again  
New investigator here.   
        Does he know?   
               How?  
        Trying to separate me and Mello?  
               Why?  
B was caught sneaking by the window.   
        Did he notice?   
        Why no confrontation?

Same message for both cases. Very weird. Decoded:

_1-4-3_  
_6-5-5_  
_6-3-6_

_2-4-1_  
_7-1-3_  
_9-8-2_  
_5-9-5_  
_5-4-2_

_3-10-2_  
_4-12-1_

_10-12-4_  
_8-1-9_  
_1-2-2_  
_2-11-5_  
_8-3-6_  
_9-1-7_  
_3-16-1_

_1-2-2_  
_4-12-6_

_5-5-1_  
_10-3-4_  
_3-14-1_  
_7-7-1_


	4. In the Fray

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who have read _The Fawn,_ you'll notice that there are increasingly more changes as time goes on. After all, that's what happens when you have protagonists with two very different personalities.
> 
> Mello turned 18 between this chapter and the last.

*** * * December 16 * * ***

Days had passed, yet no progress had been made. The only new piece of information was that someone had stolen the car from the scene that you and Matt had gone to, but there were no clues as to who had done it. Frankly, you were frustrated. You were frustrated at the lack of progress being made in the case. You were frustrated at the attitude that Mello kept giving you. Most of all, you were frustrated that you still couldn't think straight.

Later in the day, while Mello was out again and Matt was on his laptop, you changed into a bathing suit and made your way down to the indoor pool to cool your rising temper. Rather than joining the people in the pool itself, you carefully stepped into the smaller hot tub off to the side. You immediately felt the therapeutic heat relax your troubles away.

Not even five minutes had passed before you heard stomping feet approaching you, followed by the familiar growl of Mello. "What do you think you're doing?"

You sighed as you closed your eyes and admitted, "I came here to relax for a moment."

He took a step closer so that he was right behind you.

His voice was low and stern as he commanded, "Get out. We have work to do."

Perhaps you would have listened any other day, but you remained glued to your seat as you insisted, "Not now. I'll meet you up there when I'm done."

Mello grabbed a fistful of your hair and began to pull, trying to drag you out. Just as quickly, you reached back and latched onto his shirt before flipping him over your head and into the hot tub in front of you.

He stood up, soaking wet and fuming as he roared, "What the Hell is your problem?"

You followed suit, standing up and getting in his face just as he did to you that first day. His eyes widened in surprise as he looked down at you.

"I should be asking you the same thing!" you retorted. "I haven't done anything to you and all you have done the past week is give me a hard time. I'm sick of it!"

Without another word, you stepped out of the hot tub, grabbed your towel, and headed for the elevator, leaving Mello behind.

As he stood there, fully clothed in the hot tub, one of the lifeguards piped up. "Sorry about your girlfriend, pal."

The blond narrowed his eyes and roared at the man, "Shut the Hell up! That was none of your damn business!"

 

When you reached the third floor, you quickly made your way to the room, grabbed some clothes out of your suitcase, and stepped into the bathroom. Over the course of taking a shower, you heard the door slam multiple times as Mello stormed in, dried off, and stormed back out. You winced as he left for the final time, tears beginning to mix with the waters of the shower. _Maybe I shouldn't have gone. They've been working on this for a lot longer than I have._

After drying off your body, you began to change into a new set of clothes. Your fingers brushed against a bobby pin as you put on your bra before moving to the rest. As you brushed your wet hair, your phone began to ring.

You sighed before answering, "Hello?"

"Robin, this is N," your voice program called out from the other line. "I am finished with our case, and I will be flying to LA in one hour with G as a temporary escort. L has already given me your location."

You felt your body relax as your lips curved into a small smile. "Okay. I'll see you in the morning, then."

"Goodbye."

An involuntary sigh of relief escaped your lips as the line went dead, though it wasn't without a slight pang of guilt. _I know it's horrible to say this, but at least Mello won't be focused on me with Near around._

You put your phone down to finish brushing your hair. After that, you took a step toward the bathroom door. You promptly slipped on a puddle and landed on your face with a loud thud. Although you barely had enough time to react in your current condition, you had managed to protect your head from further damage.

As you laid face-down on the floor, stunned, you heard Matt call out from the other room, "Are you okay?"

You pushed yourself up and began to pull your legs underneath your torso to get in the position to stand. "Sorry, I'm fi-"

You cried out as pain seared through your ankle and you collapsed again. You heard footsteps hurry to the bathroom as you grit your teeth and squeezed your eyes shut.

Matt's voice rang out from the other side of the door. "Hey! Robin, can you hear me?"

"I'm fine, Matt," you tried to assure him, but the strain in your voice told him otherwise.

Ignoring the pain, you rolled onto your side and looked down to your feet only to find that the joint connecting your ankle was already beginning to swell. You carefully pushed yourself into a sitting position, wincing as you shifted your throbbing joint. You leaned against the cabinet behind you, closing your eyes as you took a deep breath to calm yourself.

There was a short silence before Matt warily asked, "Are... are you dressed?"

It was then when you realized just how much you had screwed up. "Yes, I'm dressed."

You could have sworn that you heard him sigh in relief. "Okay, I'm coming in."

He opened the door, careful not to hit the injured investigator. He kneeled down next to you and put his arm around your waist as you put your arm over his shoulders. After gently pulling you up, Matt helped you out of the bathroom and to the couch, walking slowly as you hopped on your right leg. You sat down and carefully lifted your legs onto the couch, wincing at even the slightest movement from your left ankle.

The young man tried to lighten the mood as he commented, "Man, first you get beat up by Mello, and now by gravity. This just isn't your week, is it?"

You sighed. "I would have to agree with you, Matt."

"We're out of frozen peas, so I'll be right back with an ice pack for that," Matt told you before heading out the door.

You sat there in silence, trying to ignore the pain as you looked at the window. Although it was covered by a curtain, watching the lighting behind it fade was enough to pose a mild distraction from your ankle. Another several minutes passed before you heard the door open. You looked up expectantly, but were quickly disappointed to find a grumpy-looking Mello entering the room. Tightening your lips into a thin line, you immediately broke eye contact.

The blond scrutinized you before wordlessly approaching the couch. Once there he gracelessly grabbed your legs and tossed them aside to make room for himself to sit. Unfortunately for you, his irritation caused him to put so much force behind the action that the rest of you followed suit and fell off the couch.

Involuntary tears streamed down your face in reaction to the intense pain. You still couldn't put the pressure on your ankle that you needed to walk away. Instead, you kept your face turned away from the blond as you bit your lip. Your fingers dug into the couch, ripping the fabric as you sat there and tried to contain yourself.

Mello sat down on the couch, assuming that you were just being a drama queen like most other girls he knew were. He took a bite from his chocolate bar and looked up to find his best friend standing in the doorway, ice pack in hand, as he stared wide-eyed at the spectacle.

Matt looked at the blond, visibly frustrated, before saying in an unusually stern voice, "We need to talk."

Rather than waiting to help you up, Matt slipped an arm under your knees and his other arm behind your back. He lifted you up and carried your into the bedroom. After placing you on the bed and giving you the ice pack, he walked back out, closing the door behind him.

Inside, tears continued to stream down your face. _I never wanted any of this. I know it's my fault for being selfish about the hot tub, but still. When the Hell did my life get so weird? I'm living in a hotel with two guys I barely know working on a case to catch a highly dangerous man who probably wants us all dead._ You sniffled as you laid back on the bed and put a pillow over your face. _Maybe I should have just taken prison over signing that contract. I deserve it._

 

After closing the door behind him, Matt walked over to Mello crossed his arms and began lecturing him. "Dude, this is starting to get ridiculous, and it needs to stop."

Mello's lips formed a thin line as he narrowed his eyes, avoiding eye-contact.

 

After you calmed down a bit, you noticed a cool breeze caressing your skin. Your eyes narrowed in confusion as you pulled the pillow off your face: the window wasn't open earlier. Once the pillow was fully removed, you recoiled in fear. In front of you, trying to creep onto the bed, was a familiar man with messy black hair and a slasher smile on his face.

You opened your mouth to scream for help as you reached for something to protect yourself with, but he was too fast. Like a lion catching its prey, the murderer pounced on you, sitting on your midsection as he held a cloth over your mouth and nose. You desperately tried to pry his hands off, but he was just too strong.

 

Matt continued, "The only thing she did to you was insult you the first day. That's it! Nothing else. She even tried to work with you throughout the week, but you wouldn't have it."

Mello narrowed his eyes. "Why the Hell should she get to relax? She's barely done a damn thing this whole time while we've been working our asses off for months!"

"Okay, I'll give you that, but that doesn't mean you can treat her like that." The redhead folded his arms. "Come on man, you know that. 'Use your words, not your fists' and all that crap. Besides, other than the whole hot tub thing, the only reason you have to be mad at her is because she works with Near, and you can't judge her solely off that."

Mello clenched his fists and stood as he roared, "If you like her so damn much why don't you just ask to permanently work with your _intended-partner?"_

Matt rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on. Is that what this is about? I explained that to you already. It's not like she's going to be here forever, and – like it or not – we _all_ have to work together."

 

You could feel the drugs in your system, taking over to leave you unconscious in a few minutes. Your head was beginning to feel funny, and it was getting difficult to feel your arms. You urgently needed to get away. As you continued to struggle against the cloth, you looked at your attacker. Beyond's arms were long enough that you wouldn't be able to reach his head to retaliate, but his stomach wasn't. If you tried to strike there, he would either double over in pain, or arch himself so his stomach was out of reach, leaving his head vulnerable.

Dubbing this a win-win situation, you decided to go for it. With one hand, you threw a punch at the murderer's gut, and he moved just as expected. Just as quickly, you took your other hand and punched him in the temple, causing him to fall to the side. Taking advantage of this, you rolled out from under him and onto the floor with a low thud.

 

Mello directed his attention to the bedroom door, having thought that he heard something as Matt continued, "Look, I know you're frustrated, but you need to cool it. You overreact and lash out when you're this stressed and that's exactly what Beyond wants. Sure Robin screwed up too, but I think that if you would just give her a chance, you two might actually get along – and that would make it so much easier for us to work toget-"

Mello cut Matt off by shushing him.

"Have you been listening to any of th-"

Mello cut him off again, this time asking, "Did you hear that?"

Matt furrowed his eyebrows as he followed Mello's gaze to the door.

Concerned, he began to walk across the room. "Hey, are you alright in there?"

 

You heard Matt's voice calling out to you, but you couldn't distinguish what he said. You were so drugged that you could barely move, let alone call out for help. You struggled to crawl toward the door, which you could now see had been locked. As soon as you made it past the bed, your arms were pulled to your sides. Beyond sat on your back, blocking any effective movement. He then pulled the cloth under your head and back onto your nose and mouth, holding it there until you blacked out.

 

Matt hesitantly called out your name as he reached the door. He took hold of the handle and tried to let himself in, only to find that the room was locked from the inside. His eyes went wide as Mello sprang up from the couch, both of them painfully aware that you couldn't even stand on your own, let alone get up and lock the door. Matt ran to a box in the corner of the room to find some tools to pick the lock.

As he searched, a man's laughter rang out from inside the bedroom. "I'd like to thank you two for this, especially you, _Mihael."_

At the sound of his real name Mello snarled and rammed the door.

Satisfied with the reaction, Beyond taunted, "It would have been much more difficult to acquire my prize if it weren't for _you."_

The voice fell silent and less than thirty seconds later Mello managed to break down the door. He rushed inside to find the blankets and pillows strewn about, and the open window: the escape route.

He ran to it and looked out to see the fire escape below and Beyond making his way to a black car with your limp body draped over his shoulder. The investigator launched himself out the window and onto the fire escape as he tried to descend as quickly as possible. He heard the car start as he got closer to the bottom, so he skipped the final ladder and jumped over the edge. He chased after the vehicle on foot, but it was much faster than him and sped off into the night.

Mello stopped as he watched the vehicle disappear, cursing himself for leaving the keys to his motorcycle in the room. Back in upstairs, Matt was looking around for any note that Beyond might have left behind. In his search, he found a small USB drive placed in plain sight on the night stand.

 

Seven hours later, Mello had just gotten off the phone with the Chief of Police.

He walked over to Matt and informed him, "They ran the plates. Apparently it was the stolen vehicle of his last victim. He said that he would have his patrol officers keep an extra eye out for it."

The hacker nodded his head, his eyes glued to the screen of his laptop.

The blond continued, referring to the USB drive that his friend had found earlier. "Find anything?"

"No, not yet. I'm still trying to make sure that there's nothing on it that can corrupt our files."

Just then there was a knock at the door. Matt briefly glanced at the door before returning to his laptop, as Mello — though surprised — walked over and opened it. Standing there were Near and and a man he didn't recognize holding a few suitcases. The blond narrowed his eyes at his rival, but let them in. The unfamiliar man set the suitcases down in the closet before making his leave, wishing the team luck as he closed the door behind him.

Near looked around the room before asking, "Where is Robin?"

Matt piped up, knowing that his friend would never admit it. "Beyond has her."

The youngest frowned. "You let a serial killer kidnap my partner?"

Mello clenched his fists as he avoided eye contact.

Matt sighed at the comment, before answering, "Yes, and we are working on finding them now. The files for the rest of the case are on the table."

Near waited for a moment before shuffling to the table. He twirled his hair as he opened the first file.

 

Beyond stopped at another safe house for the third time that night. You were starting to wake up again, so he had to make this quick. He hid the stolen vehicle behind the abandoned building before running inside and taking out a bottle of chloroform that he had purchased. He poured a previously-calculated amount of the chemical into a measuring cup before sealing the bottle and taking out a fresh rag from the same cabinet.

 _It's amazing what some people will do for money,_ he silently mused as he soaked the rag in the drug.

The murderer rushed back out to the car, keeping the rag away from his face to avoid the toxic fumes as the liquid rapidly evaporated. He opened the rear door to see you still sprawled out across the seat. He carefully crawled over your body and hovered over your face, his legs on either side of your torso. He slipped a hand under your cheek before lifting to make you face him. You groaned lightly at the motion, your eyebrows furrowing slightly, but there was no movement aside from that. Beyond knew that if he delayed this any further, you may be able to regain your senses. You moaned in distress as he held the chloroform-soaked rag over your nose and mouth, confirming that you were at least slightly aware of what was going on.

He leaned in toward your ear as he whispered, "Hush, girl. You don't want to cause a ruckus. No one is around to hear you anyway."

As the whimpers quieted down into silence, he checked your pulse and the numbers above your head. The numbers hadn't changed, and your pulse had returned to a more acceptable rate. Beyond crawled back out of the car before closing the door behind him. He returned to the building and fetched a jar of strawberry jam out of the cabinet. As he consumed the contents, he turned on the television to check for the locations of police checkpoints that were looking for him. He smiled as he calculated a new route before returning to the cabinet, this time taking out a syringe. The contents were the latest the engineers of the black market could offer.

Beyond then returned to the car and opened the back door again. He crawled to your torso before carefully taking off the syringe's cap. He rolled up your sleeve and stuck the needle into your arm before forcing the contents into your body. Then, he backed out of the car and carefully discarded the empty syringe into a garbage bin. After checking the time, the murderer returned to the car and drove off toward his final destination.


	5. Prisoner

 

*** * * December 17 * * ***

Beyond adjusted the dead weight of the girl he had slung over his shoulder as he switched on the lights in the hallway. After walking a short way, he opened a door to his left. He took a few steps into the room before tossing your body to the hard floor. He then took you by your shoulders and propped you up against the wall beneath his new installation. He lifted your arms one by one and locked them in the pristine shackles before backing away somewhat. Your right wrist was hanging lower down than the left. A low growl emerged from the murderer's throat before his long fingers returned to the chains, adjusting them until your wrists were perfectly level.

Once satisfied with this, Beyond looked down to your body. Your true name and lifespan floated above your dangling head. He put a hand on either side of your face, squishing your cheeks together as he lifted your head and placed it so you were facing the door. There was a moment of silence as his dark irises ghosted over your unconscious form.

"It's a shame that you had to be caught in the middle of our war," he mused before standing. "Fate is an unforgiving woman, even to the innocent." It was then when a wry smirk appeared on his lips. "Though, you're not without your own sins. That's what got you here in the first place." He snickered. "Then perhaps this is a fitting punishment for you."

Beyond retreated to the adjacent room without so much as a glance back to his prisoner. The room was cluttered with cardboard boxes of various sizes, though some items seemed out of place. He walked over to the corner of the room before picking up a small video camera and tripod. After checking the clock on the wall, he picked up his pace and returned to your room. He set up the tripod and camera in the corner to the right before closing the door behind him and returning to the other room. Once there, he took a medium-sized metallic box and pushed it to the wall shared with your room. He made sure that all the wires were in place before covering it with a large cardboard box. He then left the room and headed toward the stairs.

After making his way to the abandoned lobby, Beyond left the building and made the short trek to his nearest safe house. Once inside, the murderer made his way to the comfort of his control room. There was no light bulb, but the light from the computer screens was more than enough to allow the man to see what he was doing. He checked the computer to his right, making sure that the bomb was online and would only trigger when he input the right code. Then he looked to the surveillance video feeds on the other screens. All was silent in this area of the town. Finally, he looked to the blank screen to his left. He grabbed the appropriate keyboard and input his commands. A cheshire-like smile rose to his lips as the live video feed began playing on the screen.

Beyond reached behind him and grabbed fresh bottle of water as he spoke aloud. "I'll wait until she wakes up."

 

Near had spent all morning looking through every detail of the evidence. He currently had Beyond's latest message in his hands; the other ten messages, both coded and decoded, were spread out on the floor in front of him. He had been looking back and forth between the message in his hands and the first ten as he figured out the pieces to the puzzle behind the last message.

He smirked as he announced, "The last message says: the queen of thieves is mine."

Matt looked over to him as he asked, "Where did you get that from?"

Near twirled his hair. "The first number in each row corresponds to the message number, if you give them numbers in order of when they were recovered. The second number of each row corresponds to that number word in the decoded message, and the third number corresponds to a letter in the word. For example: the first row reads 'one-four-three.' The first decoded message reads 'The king has returned,' the fourth word of the message is 'returned,' and the third letter is 't'. If you use that pattern for the rest of the message, you get: the queen of thieves is mine."

Mello burst out, "That's great, but what the Hell is it supposed to mean? All you did was waste time on another pointless message!"

Near looked at the blond. "You are aware of who Robin is, are you not?"

Matt's eyes went wide as he smacked a hand against his forehead. "I can't believe I didn't realize it sooner."

"Realize what?" his best friend snapped.

"She's not just Robin, she's _Robin Hood!"_

Mello raised an eyebrow. "The hacker?"

"Yeah, it all makes sense when you think about it," he began. "Robin Hood just suddenly stopped hacking not too long before the teams were set up. We know that 'Robin' can hack, and she told me that L was the one who picked her alias. Not to mention the fact that she's definitely not from Wammy's, so L had to find her somewhere, and we know that he worked on that case."

The blond pinched the bridge of his nose. "Alright, enough! I don't need you fanboying while we have shit to do. You're the only one who can crack that USB and it's the only damn lead we've got."

Matt's shoulders drooped. "I wasn't fanboying..."

Mello whipped around to Near. "How the Hell did Beyond even know about this?"

The youngest successor chimed in again. "I don't know, but he must have planned to take her when she and Matt investigated that scene. The only reason he didn't at that time was because someone else was with her."

 

Your eyes fluttered open. As your senses returned to you, you could feel your body aching. As you looked around, you could see that the room was dark except for a strip of light across from you. After a moment of contemplation you decided that it was was coming from underneath a door. The small amount of light was just enough to make it so your eyes couldn't adjust to see in the dark room. You could feel your heart racing as a panic began to overwhelm your senses. It took all your will to close your eyes and take a deep breath. _Calm down. You need to stay calm and analyze the situation. Escaping can come next._

As your heart rate began to decrease slightly, you focused on your other senses. You could feel that you were sitting up against a wall. Your arms were being held over your head by a cold metallic material that was tightly bound around your wrists: shackles. _So, I can't move my wrists very much. What about my arms?_

You tried to move your arms, but soon found out that you were capable of moving them only a few centimeters. As you moved, you heard a creaking and clanking sound. Your heart nearly stopped at the noise, fearing that you may have alerted Beyond that you were awake. After a few moments of silence, you had concluded that Beyond was likely too far away to hear you, and the shackles had to be attached to the wall above you by chains.

You took another calming breath before focusing on your lower half. You felt the cool floor with only your bare feet. A jolt of pain went through your ankle as you shifted. In a desperate attempt to remain silent, you bit your lip. As the sharp pain subsided into the dull feeling that you had been ignoring, you deduced that you were still dressed, the floor was made of concrete, and your ankle was still either broken or sprained. You lifted your head. _Now to figure out my surroundings._ You took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of musty and stale air with a hint of saltiness: this building hasn't been occupied for a long time, no one has been killed here recently, and you were likely near the ocean. _This building couldn't have been occupied recently anyway since Beyond likely added in my chains himself._

A repetitive sound from the hallway assaulted your eardrums, getting increasingly louder and higher in pitch: someone was coming. As your heart rate began to race, you took a shaky breath in attempt to calm yourself. You may not have had much first hand experience with violent criminals and kidnappers, but you knew enough about them to know that as soon as he got what he wanted, Beyond would kill you. You would have to give him no reaction if you wanted to live to see another day.

 

Back at the hotel, Mello asked his partner, "Hey, did you figure out what was on that USB drive yet?"

Matt sighed. "Well, I found one thing on it, but every time I try to open it, all I get is a message saying 'not connected.' I'm not entirely sure what it's connecting to, but I think we have to wait to see." He tried opening the file again, but his eyes widened as it opened a new window. "It's working."

Mello stood behind his friend so he could see too, and Near looked up at the screen from his spot on the floor. What appeared to be a live video feed popped up on the screen. It was mostly dark, but the boys were just able to make out a figure in the room, chained to the wall. Light flooded into the room as the door opened. The trio of investigators could clearly see that the figure was their missing partner.

 

You looked up as the door opened, the light nearly blinding you. You saw the silhouette of a man with messy hair and baggy clothes: most likely Beyond Birthday. As he approached you, you couldn't help but try to defensively pull your legs to your chest. The man slammed your legs to the ground and sat on your knees so you couldn't move.

He was close enough that his head blocked out enough light for you to begin to make out his facial features. After a moment, you clearly recognized him as Beyond Birthday. All was silent as you stared at your menacing captor, only the pounding of your heart resonating in your ears and the sounds of your own breaths.

 

_lub_

_dub_

 

 

_lub_

_dub_

 

_lub_

_dub_

 

His grin extended as his eyes widened and he whipped his hand around. You gasped and squeezed your eyes shut in a feeble attempt to hide. A few moments passed before you heard him chuckle darkly, followed shortly by the sound of metal creaking against glass and the distinct scent of strawberry hit your nostrils. Mentally cursing yourself, you realized, _He's just trying to get a rise out of me. I know he's unpredictable, but I need to keep calm._

As you warily opened your eyes, you could see Beyond holding a jar with a maniacal grin on his lips. _Right, Matt said that he always ate strawberry jam at Wammy's._

The murderer on your legs reached behind him, slowly pulling out something that glimmered in the light. Your eyes widened as all blood drained from your face – it was a knife. In that moment, he jolted the weapon-wielding hand around, making you flinch as he stopped just in front of your face and plunged it into the jar. You exhaled shakily as you furrowed your eyebrows, gaze still locked on his hands as he pulled up the jam-covered blade.

Beyond pressed it against your lips, leaving the sharp edge just below your nose. "Want some?"

The strawberry sweet dripped down your chin as you remained frozen in place, your eyes wide and your heart nearly silent as you locked eyes with the man who had kidnapped you.

A few moments passed before he teasingly asked, _"No?"_ He shrugged. "Your loss."

He withdraw the knife, bringing it to his own face as he slowly licked off the remaining jam. You nervously swallowed a gulp as you tightened your lips into a thin line, ignoring the mess around your mouth that was dripping into your lap. He was playing mind games with you. You knew it, but you were losing all the same.

Beyond reached up and wiped some jam off your face with his knuckle, licking it off before releasing a satisfied sigh. "So, here we are, and look at how far I have come. One day I was L's shining beacon, meant to be his successor, and the next..." He grinned. "Here I am, outwitting him and his little successors. What a shame to see the quality of production drop at the Wammy House."

You tightened your lips into a thin line as you eyed him warily.

"Oh, but you're a _special one,_ aren't you?" he cooed. "I've stolen away little miss Robin Hood from her band of merry men." He cackled as your eyes widened and your brows pinched together. "It's quite the dysfunctional group you have there. So argumentative – especially that Mihael."

You couldn't help but turn your head slightly as you opened your mouth. _Who...?_

He brought a wrist to his forehead dramatically. "Oh dear, I've forgotten. You don't know their names, do you?" He paused for a moment as you began to feel a pit in your stomach. "You know Mihael. He was the one who made you so easy to catch..."

He flicked the bruise on your forehead, drawing out an involuntary whimper from your lips.

"And that Miles, such a sweet boy," he snickered. "You should really thank him. If I had my way, you and I would have met much sooner."

The photo of Beyond slipping behind you in the window flashed into your mind.

"But you already knew that, didn't you," he grinned as he said your full name.

You felt your heart sink as your breath got caught in your chest. Despite going by your real name in private, you had made sure that it wasn't in any of the files on the Wammy House server, so this proved that Beyond had done his research. You closed your eyes as you tried to calm yourself.

Beyond roughly grabbed your jaw and your eyes shot open as he yanked your head to face him, forcing you to look him in the eye. A cold sweat dripped down your neck as the murderer brought his blade to your face, caressing your cheek with the flat edge.

"My, my, what a pretty face you have." He flicked his wrist, making a shallow cut across your cheek.

You involuntarily winced as he continued, "It's almost a shame that you have to go this way." Beyond licked the end of the knife where your blood was as he emphasized, "Almost."

He let go and stood to leave, closing the door behind him as he left you in the darkness again. You let out a shaky breath as you closed your eyes. Tears of terror trickled down your cheeks as frightened chills went down your spine. Your palms tightened around the chains to your shackles as you tried to calm yourself and think of a way out of the situation.

 

The boys had heard bits and pieces of the conversation, and were watching as Beyond left the room.

Mello was the first to speak as he ordered Matt, "See if you can track the location of that camera."

The techie's fingers went flying on the keyboard, and in a matter of minutes he had the location.

"Well?" Mello asked impatiently.

Matt hesitated for a moment. "It's pretty far away, but there was no security blocking me from the location. It took me half a day of nonstop work to get through the security on the USB drive, so-"

"He must be baiting us," Near interjected as he twirled his hair. "Remember that Beyond is interested in L, not us. He will do whatever it takes to get us out of his way."

Mello narrowed his eyes at Near as he raised his voice. "Well, what do you suggest we do? We can't just leave her there! We know where Beyond is now, so we should catch him!"

Near looked at him in mild irritation. "We have to think carefully about our options and create a plan of action. If we go in without thinking we will get ourselves killed."

 

You felt like you had been there for hours trying to think of a way out. You heard footsteps in the hallway again and tensed, knowing who it would be. The door opened and the light almost blinded you once more. You saw the silhouette of Beyond Birthday with a knife in his hand as he rapidly approached you. The murderer sat on your legs before you could move them.

 

Matt yelled out to the team, "He's back in the room!"

Near and Mello gathered around the screen to watch. Their ears were quickly greeted by muffled cries of pain. Near began trembling at the sight. Unable to handle watching his partner be tortured, he walked away and began fiddling with a bag of dice that you had bought him. Not long after that, Matt looked down. Mello remained staring at the screen, his fists clenched and his body shaking in rage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who haven't read The Fawn, how do you expect to get out of this one?
> 
> For those who have, what do you think of the differences between these two stories so far, like your conversation with Matt in the car or the way Beyond led up to your name?


	6. Be Brave

*** * * December 18 * * ***

You sat there, leaning against the wall as you breathed heavily. Your eyes were closed and your cheeks painted with a mixture of dried tears and blood. Even the immediate area around you was not spared of the dried red substances, particularly your now-torn clothes and the floor directly beneath where you had been slashed by your kidnapper's knife. A shaky inhale filled your lungs as you flexed your fingers, the motion sending a burning shock through the broken skin on your arms.

It was clear to you from the severity of your wounds that Beyond had no intention of killing you... yet. Rather, he wanted to make this experience as painful as possible – though you could not find a reason amongst your distress. You didn't know how long you had been sitting there, but it felt like an agonizing eternity. You knew that you had to wait until you were capable of moving again to make your escape, and you would have to do that as soon as possible.

You took a deep breath as you pulled down on your chains to keep them from making noise. Step two: you shifted both of your legs so that you were sitting on your calves, tightening your lips at the searing pain that jolted from your wounds as you moved. You did your best to ignore your body's protests as you focused on the task at hand. Using your good foot, you pushed yourself upwards. At the same time, you bent your elbows, keeping your wrists as low down as possible. You raised yourself up just high enough to reach the bobby pin that you had left attached to the back of your bra. Moving as swiftly and silently as possible, you used the accessory to pick the locks on your shackles, freeing your wrists.

Following a silent breath, you quietly dropped your arms, careful not to disturb the shackles and alert your kidnapper to your movements. You slowly crawled toward the door, trying your best to ignore your body's protests. When you reached the door, you blindly felt around in search of the doorknob. Once your fingers hit the cool metal, you grasped it and turned – much to your surprise, opening the door. Your eyes went wide as you froze in the light of the hallway, but you were quick to calm yourself. He probably thought I wouldn't be able to escape. _It would be pointless for him to lock the door if he's the only one using it._

You peeked out the door, watching for Beyond. When you were certain that you could neither see nor hear him, you opened the door completely and pulled yourself up to stand on your good foot. The hallway seemed to be falling apart, confirming that this building had long been unused. To your left, the hallway continued before it met with an intersecting hallway. To your right, the hallway continued for a bit, ending at a door with a broken "Exit" sign hanging above it.

That was where you needed to go. 

You leaned on the wall and hopped on your good leg toward the door. When you opened it, you saw a window to the outside, and a flight going down on your left. Next to the door was a faded "4".

You glanced around warily. _Still no sign of Beyond. I hope my luck stays with me._

 

Back at Deneuve's makeshift headquarters, Mello had been watching as you escaped your shackles and left the room, admiring that you were capable of such a feat in the condition that you were in. Still, he knew that you wouldn't be able to get very far on your own.

He called out to Matt, "Robin escaped. Are you going to tell me where she is now? We need to help her."

Matt sighed before breaking the news to his friend, "Dude, she's a seven-hour drive away. We won't make it to her on time."

"And there's still the matter of the trap to worry about," Near added from his position on the floor.

"Oh, so we're just going to leave her there to die?!" Mello clenched his fists as he narrowed his eyes at Matt. "If you told me where they were, we could have reached her in time!"

The redhead raised his voice at the accusatory tone in Mello's statement. "It's not like I knew that this was going to happen! You were ready to kill her just a few days ago, anyway. Why do you care about her well-being all of a sudden?"

The blond narrowed his eyes as he briefly glanced to his rival on the floor.

Mello's voice was low as turned to the redhead and commanded, "Shut up."

Matt recoiled at the statement, eyes wide as he stared at his best friend in disbelief. After a few moments, he narrowed his eyes and a frown settled on his face. Meanwhile, Near had been sitting on the floor, twirling his hair as he weighed their options.

 

You had been struggling through your descent for a few minutes. You were just between the third and second floors when you heard the pounding of footsteps as they rushed up the stairs toward you. Survival instincts overwhelmed your self-pity as you frantically looked around for a solution. You knew that you were far too weak to fight back, and you didn't think that you could survive crashing through the window onto the ground from this height.

Beyond reached you before you could figure out what to do. When you tried to back away, he tackled you to the ground. He dragged you back to the room as you kicked and screamed, trying to get away or at least get someone to help. Tears streamed down your cheeks as he threw you into the room and dragged you by your arms back to the shackles. Once your wrists were secured, he wrapped his bony hand around your neck. 

His eyes were widened, and his voice sounded more frantic than before as he spoke. "I tried being nice to you – I really did – but here you are, rejecting my hospitality. You've hurt my feelings and you will be punished for that."

He pulled his knife out. You frantically tried to push him away as you begged him to stop between your hysterical sobs.

 

The boys were silenced as they heard the familiar muffled sounds of you and Beyond come from the computer again. Near exhaled shakily as he looked away from the screens.

Mello gritted his teeth as he addressed Matt, "Get your car started. You're taking us to them. I'll call and get a SWAT team set up on the way there. You guys can stay in the car as surveillance, but I'm going in after them."

The other geniuses agreed to the plan, and all three of them headed out.

*** * * December 19 * * ***

Beyond had come back multiple times throughout the night. Your spirit was broken at the failed escape attempt, and your sense of time was lost due to the numerous torture sessions you had to endure. You sat there, chained to the wall as you fell in and out of consciousness. Your body was covered in slashes and blood – your clothes barely holding together from the many long cuts that were made through them.

Your eyes were glazed over from tears that you could no longer cry. Your breathing was ragged and labored – the time between your breaths slowly increasing. Faint beeps resonated in your ears; it was as if you could hear your own clock running out of time. Your eyes started to close as a surreal feeling washed over you, beckoning you into the welcoming arms of death. The gears of your mind turned back to the people you would be leaving behind – to your friends at home. A single tear dripped down your cheek as you wished that you could see their faces just one more time. Your vision became unstable before your eyes fully closed. All of your senses were registering as if you were in a surreal dream-like state. Darkness engulfed you soon after.

 

Far away, Beyond was standing in an isolated room, hidden away from all natural light. Several monitors illuminated his path as he shuffled across the floor, watching the live videos for his prey. The streets were as barren as ever, and he snorted before taking a seat in front of the chess board and shoveling yet another spoonful of jam into his mouth. As he looked down, he carefully scrutinized the positions of the pieces. There were only two ebony ones that mattered on the board: the king and the queen. Of course, there were a handful of pawns scattered throughout. Opposite the murderer were six pearly pieces: the king, the queen, a rook, two knights, and a bishop.

"You know, Alice, this is all like a game of chess," he mumbled through his meal. "L has an advantage with his five pieces, but you and I have all the pawns we need to win."

A soft voice called back to him, "Who is who? Are you and L the kings?"

"I'm so glad that you asked, Alice, but I am not the king – you are." He ate another spoonful. "No, I need more versatility. I am the queen." He chuckled as he glanced to the pristine skull across from him. "Besides, you are at quite the disability here. Kings don't move much, and you're better suited for that."

The empty eye sockets stared back at him before she softly asked, "Who are L's pieces?"

"Our opponents," he explained. "His new successors and Quillsh Wammy."

"Is that Watari?"

Beyond cocked his head. "Oh yes, I always forget that you can't see the names. That's him – the old bastard."

She hummed. "Is he the queen? He is L's right-hand man, after all."

"No, no." He laughed. "Good guess, though. He is the rook; he's trying to protect the king, see?" He pointed to the castle-piece beside the white king on the opposite end of the board. "The queen is the most versatile and dangerous piece. Can you guess who it is?"

The former B paused as he waited for her to think. There was an empty row in front of L and Watari, but the following three spaces were occupied by the bishop, a knight, and the queen just in front of them.

"Mihael?"

Beyond grinned. "Good, good. You always were so astute, Alice. It's no wonder you were meant to be his successor."

His eyes widened as his vision flashed back to that fateful night – to the body he found hanging in her room.

"Beyond?"

He snapped back. "I'm sorry, Alice. What did you say?"

"Who is the far away one?" she asked.

The living genius turned his attention to the one opposing piece away from the protective formation. The knight was standing, but trapped by the pawns Beyond had laid out. Any move would be met with a swift and permanent demise.

"Oh, that's our little Robin Hood," he explained.

"Why a knight?"

"Hackers are strong in their natural settings, but difficult to use elsewhere," he told her as he put a finger on top of the piece. "The other knight can't reach her from here. His best bet is to confront me, but he never will... And the bish-"

"Is that Miles?"

"The other knight?"

"Mhmm."

Beyond nodded. "Yes. You know, you're getting very good at this." He paused as he looked up. "Now what was I- Oh, right." He returned his attention to the board as he pointed out to the skull, "The bishop can reach us, but that would put him in a bad position – he likes to wait too much, that Near." He reached down for Mihael's piece and waved it in the air. "The queen is the only one who can reach her now."

"You have a trap for him," her soft voice echoed.

"Very astute indeed," he mumbled to himself with a wide grin. "It will leave them crippled and out of my way, but they won't die – I saw it in their numbers."

"But Beyond, how will we defeat L?"

He chuckled darkly. "All in due time, Alice. All in due time."

A glance to the screens showed armored men and vehicles arriving on the scene.

The corners of Beyond's lips extended into a wide grin as he returned to the computers. "Like a fly to honey, he comes."

 

Mello was standing with the SWAT team leaders around a table with floor plans of the building that they had determined to hold you. Like the rest of them, the teen was dressed in a SWAT uniform with a bullet-proof jacket and two-way radio on his belt.

Matt's scrambled voice rang out from the radios. "Each leader knows their instructions, right?"

Mello responded as he put on his protective visor, "Yes, and we're moving out. Over."

The teams moved into position and waited for the signal. As soon as it was given, SWAT members poured into the building. Mello led his team up the stairs to the top floor. They ran down the hallways to check their assigned rooms, followed quickly by Mello. He opened the first door only to find a bunch of old desks. The next door he tried contained broken filing cabinets. The third door he opened led to you.

Your head was dangling and you didn't react to the flood of light that came with his entrance. His heart sunk at the sight of you so broken and chained to the wall; he couldn't help the slight pang of guilt that resonated in his chest. Mello couldn't tell if you were still alive and ran across the room before kneeling down next to you.

"Robin?"

There was nothing but silence, and he mentally cursed himself. _No, she barely answers to that._ It was then when he heard your disoriented moans. His eyes went wide at the sign of life. Mello took off his helmet, placing it on the ground next to him before he carefully put his hand under your chin.

As he lifted your head, he called out your name. "Look at me. It's me, Mello."

Your gaze slowly trailed upward and met his concerned, blue ones. After a few moments, a hint of recognition sparked in your dull eyes.

You opened your mouth and weakly whispered, "M-Mello...?

Your voice trailed off, but that was enough to tell the blond that you were alive and somewhat aware of what was going on.

"I'm gonna get you out of here," he assured you.

Mello moved your head so that it would lean against the wall before removing his hand. He then pulled out some tools from his belt and began picking the locks to the shackles.

You watched, barely conscious, as he freed your arms, carefully placing them in your lap. Mello started to take off his jacket, meaning to put it on you as he carried your out of the building. He only got the left side off when he recognized a high pitched beeping sounding off from the wall to the left. His blue eyes widened, and he threw himself on top of you, shielding you from the fires of the explosion.

He cried out as felt a burning sensation on his left side encompassing everything from his hip up to his face. He pushed himself up with his good arm to see the room in shambles. Mello knew that the building was old and not very structurally sound to begin with; this explosion would bring down the building for sure. In the distance, he could hear calls from the radio telling the SWAT members to evacuate.

He looked over to the girl he was trying to rescue. You were unconscious on the floor, but mostly unharmed from the explosion as far as he could tell. He grabbed you, lifting you up before running down the hall and out of the building, ignoring the intense pain that wracked his left side. When Mello made it out of the building, one of the SWAT members approached him.

"Sir, L instructed the ambulance to come here. He wanted me to tell you that he wants you and the girl to stay together while in the hospital."

Mello nodded and began walking toward the ambulance. Halfway there, he was met with medics who tried to help him to the vehicle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you have it. You've been rescued from the clutches of Beyond Birthday. Mello may have turned a new leaf on his own, but the last you saw him in the story, he threw you off the couch – albeit accidentally. What will you say when you see him again? 
> 
> Is this the beginning of your romance?
> 
> When and how will Light come into play?
> 
> And what about Beyond? Surely this won't be the last you hear of him.
> 
>  
> 
> So many questions. Tune in next time to Love and Obsession~!


	7. A New Leaf

*** * * December 20 * * ***

Hundreds of miles away in a hotel room hidden in plain sight, the world's number one detective was working on his most recent case. L had a laptop opened on the floor with his voice-scrambling microphone attached to it. He was listening carefully to the conversations that were playing from the live video feed on his screen when an Old English "W" appeared in the corner.

He directed his microphone away from the other video and asked, "Have any of the FBI agents contacted you yet?"

"No, and I'm afraid I only have bad news," Watari began. "It's about Deneuve's case."

"What happened?"

"Beyond Birthday kidnapped Robin a few days ago and tortured her," the old man explained. "Apparently he sent a live video stream of the events to the others. They put together a SWAT team and rescued her yesterday, but Mello was injured in the process. He and Robin are in the hospital now."

The young detective frowned. "What about Beyond? Do they have any knowledge of his whereabouts?"

"It appears that he dropped off the grid."

L grumbled slightly as he put his thumb to his lip. _When he was arrested for the LABB murders, it was clear that Beyond wanted to defeat me as a criminal. He must have that same goal now... His actions make it clear that he wants to get rid of the current investigation team to get me to investigate – they should have figured that much out._

He turned to face the window, watching his own reflection as he thought to the man who was once meant to be his successor. _Beyond knows his way around Wammy's, so it's no surprise that he managed to get information on the Wammy Teams. He must have known that the four of them would be difficult opponents if they worked together – he knew that he needed to split them up if he wanted to take them down._

L sat in front of his laptop and dropped another sugar cube in his tea. _Beyond most likely went after Robin first because she is a woman – no, he absolutely went after her for that reason. Using what he learned about the others, Beyond had to know that Mello tends to be impulsive, particularly in emotional situations. That must be why he tortured Robin. He needed something to bait Mello – who he knew would be the hardest to kill given his ability to fight._ He hummed slightly to himself. _That explains why he did it, but what to do with the investigation?_

As he looked at the screen showing the officers who were working for him, the detective mumbled, "I'm too busy with the Kira case, so I can't take it on. It has to go to the old investigation team."

He absentmindedly stirred his tea. _With what she endured, I'm certain that Robin will be incapable of thinking clearly about anything related to Beyond. Besides, he will likely go after her again if given the chance. It would be too dangerous to leave her on the team – or anywhere near Los Angeles, for that matter._

The sugar addict took a sip before pursing his lips. "Too bitter."

L piled more sugar into the delicate cup as he continued his contemplation. _Beyond has clearly demonstrated that he has the ability to manipulate Mello, so I can't allow him to remain on the team either. I need to keep him as far away from the situation as possible so he can't interfere... That leaves Near and Matt. I'll have to leave the investigation to them._

He took another sip of his now-saturated tea. As the undissolved sugar crystals danced around his taste buds, the detective couldn't help but smile.

A frown tugged at the corners of his lips as he put the cup down. _But, what to do with Robin and Mello?_

The detective stood again and looked out the window. _Obviously they can't stay there; I have to get them somewhere where Beyond can't find them or antagonize them in any way. It also has to be with someone who will keep a close eye on them to prevent Mello from trying to return to the investigation._ A few moments passed before he concluded, _With those restrictions, the best place for them to be is here with me. At least I'll have the benefit of their help on the case._

"Watari, I need you to..."

*** * * December 26 * * ***

On the other side of the world, you slowly pried your eyes open for the first time in days. An involuntary groan escaped your lips as you squinted at bright lights that attacked your corneas. You shifted your stiff arms before rubbing your eyes, an unfamiliar texture blocking the direct contact between the skin. As your vision adjusted itself, your bandaged arms came into focus. You weakly furrowed your brows and tilted your head as you tried to process the sight. When it finally occurred to you to move your arms to take in your surroundings, you found that you were laying on a stretcher in a calm room. While most of your body was covered in a soft blanket, you could see that you were wearing a hospital gown beneath it.

As you turned to the side, you saw Mello sleeping in his own bed. He was also in a hospital gown, but his bandages only seemed to cover his left arm and the left side of his face.

The corners of your lips tugged into a slight frown. _Did Beyond do this?_

You vaguely remembered the blond coming to your rescue, but you didn't recall him being injured. Your eyes traced his sleeping form as you wondered what happened to him. His face seemed so peaceful when he wasn't busy yelling at you. A light blush rose to your cheeks at the thought.

"Oh, good. You're awake."

A panicked gasp escaped your lips as you whipped your head to the door, revealing a woman standing there. The nurse checked your vitals before picking up a chart and scribbling a few things down.

She then looked up at you and explained, "I'm going to ask you a few questions to see how you are doing."

"Okay."

"What is your name?"

You hesitated as you realized that you were probably registered under a fake name. "I don't remember."

The nurse recorded your answer before telling you, "Your name is Jane Smith. Are you married?"

You narrowed your eyes slightly as your eyebrows sunk down and you cocked your head. "...No?"

The question and answer session continued. The nurse eventually began asking questions that you could actually answer, like who the current president was and what color your eyes were. After she finished asking questions, the nurse flipped the page on your chart.

"Well, Jane, you have slight amnesia. You keep forgetting your name, information about your family, and your husband, John," she gestured to Mello.

Your eyes widened and your cheeks flushed a light pink as you glanced to the blond.

"You have been unconscious for the past few days." She paused as she turned the page. "You also have over 200 stitches total, a few burns around your elbows and feet, and a broken ankle."

The nurse put the chart down before looking at you with a warm – almost sad – smile on her face.

You heart began to race. "W-What?"

"You are a very lucky woman, Mrs. Smith. Your husband laid his life on the line to save you, even going so far as to use his own body to protect you from an explosion. He must love you very much," she finished and left, closing the door behind her.

You stared down in disbelief as you tightly clutched the end of the blanket. After a few minutes you looked over to Mello. _Why would he protect me like that?_

About half an hour later, the blond stirred and opened his eyes.

As he carefully sat up, you warily asked, "Married?"

"What?" he feigned a tone of innocence. "Matt and Near wanted us to stay in the same room, and that was the only surefire way I could make that happen. Besides, we fight enough to look like an old married couple anyway."

The corners of your lips dipped into a frown as you glanced away. "Mello, I'm sorry that I took a break. It wasn't fair to you guys when you were both working so hard. I just- I'm not used to this kind of thing. I'm sorry. I won't do it again."

He huffed a sigh as he looked away. "Look, don't worry about it, alright? We all make stupid mistakes when we're frustrated. Besides, you've got a lot more to worry about than some dumb argument." He flexed his bandaged fingers slightly as he explained, "He's still out there and he won't stop at anything until we're out of his way."

You could feel your heart beat faster as the realization of your danger hit you, confirmed by the monitor you were attached to. _No, it's not just me._ Your gaze lingered on his bandaged wounds for a moment before you shifted uncomfortably and turned away. There was something off about this whole situation. When you last saw him, Mello hated you, but now he was off using his body to shield you. He was even being nice instead of yelling.

You shifted awkwardly, eyes glued to your fingers. "Why did you do it? Why..." Your eyes locked with his as you whispered, "Why did you save me?"

He turned as he closed his eyes and waited a few moments.

He frowned as he opened his eyes again, his tone not the same rage-filled one that he had so often used when speaking to you, but a sad – almost remorseful – tone. "Look, we both really fucked up. Yeah, you were being kind of selfish, but that still doesn't excuse the way I acted. You didn't deserve to be treated so harshly. Let's just put that all behind us and start over." He turned to you and stuck out his good hand. "Hi, I'm Mello."

You couldn't help but smile softly as you met his hand in the middle and reintroduced yourself by your given name. "Thank you for saving me."

He grinned back at you as the nurse returned.

"Mr. Smith," she began, addressing Mello. "Your father is here with clothes for you two. I just need to do one last checkup before I can discharge you."

You furrowed your eyebrows. _His father? Isn't he an orphan too?_

The nurse did her final checkups and let you both sign out. She then opened the door, letting in the familiar face that you recognized as Watari.

He nodded slightly as he greeted the young investigators. "Good afternoon. I have brought clothes for the two of you." He placed your outfits on your separate beds. "We have much to discuss when we return home."

Watari left, closing the curtain behind him.

Mello smirked at you. "Well, Mrs. Smith, since we both know we aren't actually married, I'd like some privacy. I'm sure you won't mind, either." He pulled a second curtain between the two beds, allowing you both to get changed.

It was difficult with your broken ankle, but you managed to get changed in ten minutes. While changing, you noticed bandages around large sections of your legs and torso. You then stood up using your crutches and went outside to meet with Watari and Mello. The elderly inventor then led you to a dark limousine with tinted windows. He sat in the front, leaving you and Mello in the back seats.

Once he began driving, Watari addressed you both. "L has instructed me to take the two of you to him. I have already packed your belongings with the help of Matt and Near. Our flight will depart as soon as we arrive."

Mello narrowed his eyes and tightened his lips into a thin line before he turned his attention to the window. You decided not to ask, unwilling to bring his foul mood to be focused on you again. Despite the lack of a direct answer, you were pretty certain that he was unhappy about being taken off the case in Los Angeles.

You looked back to the front of the car as you asked, "L is in Japan, right?"

"Correct, and while we are with L, you are to call him Ryuzaki. Additionally, I will pay for your medical bills, so there is no need to worry about that."

You smiled and thanked him. Even though you had the money to pay for it yourself, it was a kind gesture. The rest of the car ride was silent as Watari drove to a nearby airfield. He parked the car near stairs leading up to a private jet. Another man came out to help take the suitcases.

You approached the stairs and put your crutches on one arm, holding onto the railing with the other as you hopped up the stairs on your good foot, followed closely by Mello. The three of you then took your seats. Shortly after that, the airplane took off and you looked out the window, watching as the plane began to fly over the Pacific Ocean.

*** * * December 27 * * ***

You had slept through most of the trip, your body still exhausted. After the plane landed Watari led you and Mello to another black car. The inventor had been driving you for a little over an hour as you conversed.

Your eyes went wide and your mouth agape. "Wow! really?"

"It's true," Mello bragged.

"But, I thought that only Watari knew what L looked like."

"No," he corrected with a smirk. "Watari, Roger, and I know what he looks like."

You raised an eyebrow. "Who's Roger?"

"He runs the Wammy House."

"Oh," you trailed off before turning back to the blond. "Wait, we're getting off topic. Maybe I'm just not up to date, but wasn't there something about L only revealing himself to his successor? Isn't the point of the Wammy Teams to figure out who it is?"

He leaned back in his seat and looked down bitterly. "I was number one before Near came to the Wammy House. The only person who even came close to my level was Matt, and he never wanted to be L."

Your gaze softened. "So, you were going to be his successor until Near came along?"

"Yeah, and that's why L agreed to meet with me to tell me about the detective wars."

You waited for him to continue, but he stopped speaking. You looked down at your casted ankle as a small frown settled on your face. _So, that's why he hates Near. Everything was falling into place for him, but Near going to Wammy's completely ruined it for him._

The next thirty minutes were silent as Watari drove through a city. He slowed down and parked next to a tall hotel. You got up and onto your crutches as the other two exited the car. Mello grabbed his suitcase with his good arm and Watari picked up yours. The younger two followed Watari into the lobby, where they received strange looks from the occupants due to their heavy bandages. The trio then stepped into an empty elevator before rising to the top of the building.

The ride up was silent. As you glanced to the side, you saw Mello looking down with a slight scowl visible on his face. You frowned, knowing that your earlier conversation was likely still bothering him. Knowing there was nothing you could do, you directed your gaze back up and stood there silently in anticipation. You knew that you were mere moments away from meeting L face to face for the first time. A part of you wondered if you would be treated poorly due to your regretful criminal history, but you had to push it away and take a calming breath to ease your nerves.

When the elevator reached one of the highest floors, Watari led the injured investigators down the hall. He stopped and unlocked a door. He let you and Mello in before closing the door behind himself. As you looked around the lavish room, you found no one else there. _Maybe I misunderstood him?_

As if to counteract your doubts, a man emerged from the kitchen, walking toward the three of you. He bore a resemblance to Beyond with his messy hair, his dark eyes, and his baggy clothes, but you knew he wasn't the murderer. This newcomer was several inches taller, his hair was more voluminous, his eyes wider.

As he spoke to you, you noticed that his voice was different from Beyond's wild and frenzied voice: it was calm and collected as he looked directly at you and said, "I am L."

You glanced over to Mello to confirm the claim. The blond raised his eyebrows and smirked, confirming the truth behind his story and this man's words.

When you looked back over to L, he continued. "I'm sure that Watari informed you that you are to call me Ryuzaki." You and Mello nodded. "Additionally, you two are not allowed to leave Headquarters. Watari and I will accompany you when we switch hotels."

"What?" Mello groaned. "Why not?"

L's tone almost condescending as he pointedly replied, "If you two had acted reasonably when you met and worked together, none of this would be necessary and you would both be in Los Angeles uninjured."

You tensed as you glanced to Mello. His lips were tightened into a thin line and his right fist clenched, but he remained silent.

"Now that you're done arguing, allow me to inform you of the progress of the case so far."

You looked up to see the detective walking over to a table with a half-eaten strawberry shortcake in the middle. Mello was quick to follow and you trailed behind him, taking your seats across from your boss.

"I have been working with a Japanese Task Force over the past few weeks," L explained as he took a bite. "I have determined that Kira is in Japan and can kill with only a face and name. He is also capable of controlling the time of death of his victims. I have also concluded that there is a leak of information coming from the Task Force, and Kira has access to said information." He frowned as he munched on a strawberry. "I sent out twelve FBI agents to investigate the members of the Task Force and their families, but I just received word that they were all killed by Kira."

Your eyes went wide. "But why would he do that? They were all innocent."

Mello moved to fold his arms, but his bandages prevented him from doing so. "It was pretty stupid of him if you ask me. It just makes it obvious that he was one of the people being followed."

L nodded. "Exactly, and it just complicates things more for me because the director of the FBI just told the NPA about his involvement."

"Won't that just make them trust you less?" you nervously asked. "The police of the world are already wary of you."

"That is what I suspect, but we'll have to wait and see." He signaled Watari, who brought a large stack of folders to the table. "I have compiled files of all the information you need to read up on." He grinned as he added, "Now go ahead and read. It's not like you have anywhere important to go."

With that said, he left you to your tasks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that you're officially working on the Kira case, I have an all-important question to ask: what is your opinion on Kira? Disregard Light in this question and focus only on what Kira as an entity did.
> 
> Just as a notice, once Chapter 8 is published, updates will be a bit more spread out to account for my schedule and the inclusion of more significant amounts of new content.


	8. Trust

*** * * December 31 * * ***

Four days had passed since you and Mello arrived in Japan, and you had moved hotels in that time. The youngest investigators had gone through all of the files, but L didn't allow you to do anything else because the Task Force had already been assigned all of the work. To pass the time, you and Mello were playing a round of poker while you half-listened to L as he thought aloud. Despite the terrible hand you had, you couldn't help the small smile that graced your lips. These past few days had honestly been really nice. You were safely investigating from within the high rises, just going over data as you were comfortable doing.

The blond playfully smirked as he revealed his hand – much better than yours, as expected.

"You can't fool me," he bragged. "Even now, I can see the bad hand in your eyes."

You laughed as you dealt the next round. To be honest, the best part about these few days was being in an oddly relaxed and friendly setting with Mello for so long. Sure, he was a little rough around the edges, but he seemed like a genuinely good person when he wasn't stressed to the point of nuclear detonation. Despite the circumstances, it almost felt like the normal friendship that you had so craved and missed over the past two years.

L's voice caught your attention as he spoke through his microphone again. "Earlier I said 'I only trust you people.' Watari."

Rather than continuing to speak, you heard the clacking of a keyboard. Taking this as a means of keeping his activities a secret, you returned your attention to the game. After a few minutes, the great detective approached you and Mello.

The blond looked up at him and raised an eyebrow. "What's up, Ryuzaki?"

"I am having the members of the Task Force meet me here, but I want the two of you to hide in the bedroom until Watari retrieves you. Until then, I want you to be as silent as possible."

Your eyebrows furrowed as you frowned. "But Ryuzaki... if any of them is Kira-"

"Room. Now."

You shut your mouth and glanced away before getting up onto your crutches, pocketing your cards and chips, and making your way to the bedroom. Mello followed shortly after doing the same. The bedroom contained a king-sized bed which you both claimed as the playing table due to the lack of any actual tables in the room. You continued your poker game for a while, stopping only when you heard the suite door open. By the sounds of their voices, a few men had just entered.

Although it was difficult to decipher, you heard your employer introduce himself. "I am L."

Both you and Mello were fixated on the door, listening as the group got further away and more muffled. When they were fully out of range, you frowned. You carefully shifted your body, putting a pillow under your broken ankle before leaning back on the bed. Mello followed suit, leaning next to you.

Turning to the blond, your eyes trailed over his bandages. He was wearing a sweatshirt, covering most of them, but his left hand was still visible. It was subtle as he tried to hide it from you, but you noticed him wince as he shifted his arm before opting to just fold the uninjured one over his abdomen as he stared up at the ceiling. Gravity pulled his hair back and tousled it more than his bandages already were.

Your lips tightened into a thin line as you stared. None of this would have happened if he didn't come for you himself.

Mello turned, his uncovered eye locking with yours as he furrowed his eyebrows. "What?"

A light blush rose to your cheeks the moment you were caught, though you continued the conversation in a hushed tone to keep yourselves hidden. "How are you feeling?"

He grinned, though you could tell it wasn't fully genuine. "I'm fine. You just watch–I'll be back to normal in no time."

"Didn't they say it would take at least two months?"

He looked away. "Don't worry about it."

You opened your mouth to argue, but stopped yourself. Maybe for the sake of keeping the peace it would be best to keep your comments to yourself.

Another few minutes passed before you spoke up again. "Hey, Mello?"

"Yeah?"

"Remember the other day when Watari said that someone leaked that B-" Your breath got caught in your throat, preventing you from saying the name as you began to tremble.

He frowned as he glanced to you. "That he escaped prison?"

You forced a cough. "Y-Yeah."

"What about it?"

You looked down at your own bandaged fingers as you asked, "Do you think that Kira will get him before Matt and Near do?"

He shrugged. "Beats me. There's tons of criminals out there – who knows if he's on Kira's hit-list or not."

Nodding slightly, you fell silent again. As you looked down at your ankle, you heard the muffled conversations of L and several other men.

"Hey, Mello?"

He exhaled loudly. "You're really talkative tonight, aren't you?"

You froze. "Sorry. Um... nevermind."

"I didn't mean it like that," he assured you. "You just haven't said much since we got here. What's on your mind?"

"Just... why would he want to meet the Task Force? It doesn't make sense to me," you admitted. "He clearly acknowledges the fact that one of them could be Kira – he wouldn't hide us otherwise."

He frowned. "I don't know. It's a pretty desperate move for him."

You acknowledged his response and looked up at the ceiling above you.

This time Mello was the one to initiate the conversation. "I don't think he holds it against you."

You furrowed your eyebrows and cocked your head to the side. "What?"

"Near told us what you did," he confessed. "But I don't think that Ryuzaki holds it against you. If he did, he would've just thrown you in prison and he never would have brought you here."

His logic struck a chord in your heart, drumming away your baseless anxieties.

Still, you couldn't help but frown slightly. "How did you know that I was worried about it?"

He chuckled slightly. "For one, you're a shitty liar, and you might not win a trophy for the world's most talkative person, but you're sure as Hell not as quiet as Near. Whenever Ryuzaki comes around, you shut right up. I would compare you to someone who just watched a puppy get kicked, but you look like the puppy getting kicked whenever he comes by."

"I'm not sure that's a visual I want."

"Well, it's true," he argued, though his tone was more well-meaning than any of your past quarrels. "You look like you're waiting for him to beat you or something. Just relax. He has to trust you to let you see his face. Besides, it's not like he's innocent either. You know from experience just how far he goes to catch someone."

You pursed your lips as you glanced away.

Several minutes passed before he exhaled loudly. "We're probably gonna be here all night. Might as well try to get some sleep."

A lump formed in your throat. "Goodnight."

"G'night."

Although you were tired, you desperately fought off the need for sleep, knowing that you would just have another nightmare about your time in your prison. Mello eventually drifted off, and –unfortunately – you quickly followed.

*** * * January 1 * * ***

You were pulled from your horrors as Mello roughly shook your shoulder. A gasp filled your lungs as you jolted up, inadvertently slamming your head against his. As you fell back to the bed, you winced and put a hand to your newly tender forehead.

"Jesus Christ," he hoarsely whispered.

When you looked up, you saw that Mello had twisted himself to wake you up, but his body was tense as his bandaged hand held his head just above you.

Your eyes widened in horror as you reached up and put your hand on his. "Oh God, I'm so sorry."

He winced as your hand touched the bandages, and you pulled away, repeatedly apologizing.

Mello waived a hand dismissively. "Forget it. Just call it even from when I kicked you." A loud exhale pushed its way through his lungs before he grumbled, "It was my own damn fault for not moving anyway. You were having a nightmare – no shit you were gonna jump up like that."

As you furrowed your eyebrows, the door opened. You and Mello immediately turned to see Watari standing in the doorway.

The old man's hand was on the doorknob as he asked, "Shall I give you a moment?"

You raised an eyebrow and cocked your head. It was only when you exchanged glances with Mello when you both realized how provocative your positions appeared. Your cheeks flushed a bright red as you inched back and he jolted himself away.

"No," Mello insisted. "What is it?"

"L has determined that none of the Task Force members are Kira," Watari explained. "They all have his trust, and we are going to meet them now."

You brushed your bedhead out of your face before getting up and onto your crutches. A brief glance to Mello showed that he was clearly avoiding eye-contact as he quickly looked away and stood. You both followed Watari out to another room in the suite where a group of men were gathered around a table.

Watari greeted the newcomers, "Good work everyone. You must be thinking 'This old geezer is Watari?' Ryuzaki has told you everything, correct? He must really trust you all if he let you see my face."

"Y-Yes," the youngest-looking officer replied before looking over to you and Mello with his eyebrows raised. "What about them, Ryuzaki? They're just kids, they can't be on the case too."

Your Japanese was a little rusty, but you were fairly certain that you could understand most of what was said.

L looked at you as he explained, "These 'kids' are two of the smartest people in the world – besides myself." You found yourself taken aback by L's compliment as he gestured to you individually. "This is Mello, a field specialist, and Robin, a technology specialist."

Despite your best efforts, you couldn't help but frown slightly. With the direct involvement of officers, you would have to go by your alias at this makeshift headquarters. What illusion of normalcy you had taken solace in these past few days was well and truly gone.

The youngest Japanese detective warily eyed you and Mello, still obviously unsure.

An older-looking man with glasses assured the young detective, "Matsuda, you know that my son has helped us with many cases, and these young people look just about his age. If Ryuzaki trusts them, I believe him."

Matsuda looked down sheepishly. "I guess you're right, Chief. Sorry for doubting you."

After each member of the Task Force introduced themselves, L bluntly explained, "They are here under my strict supervision and are not allowed to leave the hotel without my permission. If I do not specifically say to you that they are allowed to leave, then they are not allowed to leave. Do not let them convince you otherwise."

Mello vehemently argued against the rule, waving arms and all such theatrics included as the head detective ignored his efforts. You couldn't help the small grin that found its way to your lips, and covered your mouth as you giggled softly. Despite Mello's protests, L continued with his business. He had Watari hand out badges with fake names to each of the Japanese detectives, instructing the men to use them whenever possible for their own safety. Then the inventor handed out specialized belts to everyone, yourself and Mello included, as he explained the emergency call function hidden within. Surprisingly, he had taken women's fashion into consideration during the design phase, as your belt was thinner than the others. Following the handouts, the new team began to discuss the case and evidence thus far. Despite your new distractions, this didn't change the fact that past threats lingered about.

 

Beyond was hiding in a dark room, far from what remained of his search party. A single laptop illuminated the place, its screen displaying a blinking dot on a map. Laying opened on the ground in front of the device was a single notebook with several pages filled. The murderer was leaning back on a lawn chair as he held the old skull in his hands.

A grin formed on his lips as he tilted his head. "Everything is going smoothly, Alice – though it took us longer than I expected to get here."

Her soft voice echoed in his mind. "You know where he is now. Why aren't we going?"

"The board has changed," he explained. "We have left a knight and the bishop in the dust, and the queen is now incapacitated."

"Then the king is open," she pointed out.

He chuckled darkly as he turned back to her skull. "Don't you remember what you taught me? Chess is a long game. We must wait and decipher the algorithm by which he moves to plan our perfect attack."

He could hear the pout in her voice. "How long before you replace him?"

Beyond hummed. "All in due time, my dear. You just need to exercise patience."

*** * * January 5 * * ***

Several days had passed since you met the Task Force. Headquarters had moved yet again, and L had finally begun to let you and Mello help more with the investigation. You were currently sitting on the couch between L and Aizawa, your crutches propped up just behind you as you watched the footage of an FBI agent's death. L was sitting in his usual position, his knees up to his chin. Aizawa leaned forward as he focused on Raye Penber's grainy image. You nervously leaned back as you held your arms together and took a deep breath. _At least this one won't be bloody._

You scanned the blurry screens for what details you could find as L narrated Penber's movements and pointed out how strange his behavior was. During that time you noticed that something the agent had been carrying in the early footage had gone missing by the end.

A gasp escaped your lips. "Ryuzaki, the envelope is-"

"The envelope's gone?!"

Aizawa jumped at your sudden realizations.

"The envelope?" he asked, eyebrows furrowed. "Oh! You're right!" He leaned in and pointed at the screen. "He's holding it here too. That's amazing, you two! You notice the smallest details."

Chief Yagami added that there was no envelope found in his articles. After a brief discussion, L instructed Matsuda and Chief Yagami to investigate Penber's death. Immediately after that, Watari informed L of an important call on the line.

He answered the call as everyone else sat and watched. After a pause he exclaimed, "Penber's fiancée?!" He paused again before looking at Watari. "Naomi Misora... sounds familiar." 

The corners of your lips tugged into a deep frown. _Did Kira target the families of the FBI agents too?_

You turned to Mello, who was leaning against a wall as he listened. His eyes were narrowed as he looked down at his feet, fists clenched. When the blond looked up, you raised an eyebrow at him. He relaxed a little, though you could still see anger in his blue eyes.

Quietly, you asked him in English, "What's wrong?"

Mello walked over to you behind the couch before leaning in and whispering, "Don't you remember the details from our case a few weeks ago?"

Then it dawned on you: Naomi Misora was the FBI agent who arrested Beyond Birthday. 

Your eyes went wide as your view of the room was replaced with the dark view of the hotel in Los Angeles as Beyond Birthday forced himself on top of you and pushed a cloth over your nose and mouth. Your heart raced as your breaths became shorter and quicker. You tried to pry his hands off, but he was just too strong. 

Your grip on your knees tightened as he – Wait, your knees! You couldn't even reach his face let alone your own knees. This couldn't be real.

You punched him in the temple, knocking him to the side as you rolled out from under him and onto the floor. You heard a muffled echo calling out to you as something came into contact with the sides of your arms.

_"R-- --"_

As soon as you made it past the bed, your arms were pulled to your side and Beyond sat on your back, blocking any effective movement.

_"R-- -in-"_

He then pulled the cloth under your head and back onto your nose and mouth, holding it there until you blacked out.

"Robin!" 

Bright colors flooded your vision as your found yourself face to face with Mello.

He loosened his tight grip on your arms as he lowered his voice. "It's alright. You're at Headquarters now with me, Ryuzaki, and everyone else."

He let go, but waited for a response. Old tears rolled down your cheeks, and your breaths were ragged. You glanced around, finding everyone's attention on you. Blood rushed to your wet cheeks as you looked down at your lap. You wiped your eyes as you took a shaky deep breath.

Reverting back to English, you glanced up at Mello. "I-I'm sorry-"

"Don't apologize for something that's not your fault."

You froze. "Sorr-"

"Don't do it."

Your shoulders drooped. "...Okay."

Taking the language barrier as a hint that they shouldn't be involved, the rest of the Task Force continued their discussion of Naomi Misora and Raye Penber. You closed your eyes and held your arms as you leaned back and tried to recollect yourself. Mello grabbed a chocolate bar from his stash in the bedroom and returned, taking Aizawa's place next to you.

He placed a hand on your shoulder. "Hey, you okay now?"

You flashed him a weary smile as you nodded slightly.

"Good."

He raised his chocolate bar to his lips before hesitating and glancing to you. A few moments passed before he lowered his hand, broke off a small piece of the sweet, and silently offered it to you. Your eyes widened briefly as you glanced between him and the chocolate, not knowing him to share his favorite treat. A soft smile graced your lips as you accepted the gift.

It was only the loud voices of the investigators that turned your attention from the treat in your mouth. You didn't catch all of it, only that something was mentioned about the families that Penber was investigating before his death.

"Vice Chief Kitamura's family and Chief Yagami's family," L told the men. "Then, please install cameras and electronic bugs in these households."

You and Mello watched as Matsuda and Aizawa protested the idea. Surprisingly, Chief Yagami agreed that it was a necessary measure, even if it was illegal. Matsuda brought up that Chief Yagami had a wife and a daughter, and after an outburst from the Chief, L silenced the group.

"This requires some sacrifices." He looked around the room before continuing. "The Chief, Robin, and I will monitor the Yagami home. The other three will monitor the Kitamura family. We will watch the families for seven days. Depending on how things go, we may stop early. When the surveillance is finished, inform the families. Leave no equipment either."

*** * * January 8 * * ***

You were sitting in one of the monitor rooms with L and Chief Yagami, watching the cameras as the Chief's son got home from school. A light blush dusted your cheeks. _Well, he's certainly handsome. I'll give him that._

As you watched him enter the door, L spoke. "Light Yagami..."

"What about him?" you asked.

"According to the people who installed the instruments, there was a small trap made to tell whether or not someone entered his room while he was out. Other than that, his room does not have anything strange."

You pursed your lips. "How elaborate was it?"

"It was a simple trap. Just a piece of paper in the doorway."

"Maybe he's just paranoid?" you suggested. "I used to do that too."

L spoke again, his tone slightly amused. "That just raises my suspicions."

You tensed as your mind raced for an excuse. "W-Well, I wasn't the only one who did it. I just meant that teenagers are generally secretive people."

Throughout the short conversation, Light had walked into his room, laid down on his bed again, got up, and left the house. Later on in the day, when Light returned to his room again, he plopped down on his bed and pulled out some magazines from underneath it. You raised an eyebrow before he opened to the first page. A fierce blush flooded your cheeks as you saw the image of a scantily clad, busty blonde laying down in a provocative position. You covered your eyes as you pushed yourself further into the folds of the couch. _Oh God. Why did I have to do this?_

Chief Yagami's tone was clearly as baffled as you were, "My son reads ... _porn magazines?"_

L chimed in, pointing out that it was normal behavior for a boy his age, however, he suspected that Light was putting on a show for the cameras. When Chief Yagami asked if L thought Light could be Kira, the number one detective responded, "Of course. That's why I ordered your home to be put under surveillance as well."

Over the course of the rest of the surveillance, the Yagami family acted fairly normal. On the second day of surveillance, Kira killed three small-time thieves, but that was the only abnormality. On day three, L had his bluff of 1500 new investigators broadcasted. Light Yagami caught onto this and announced it to his family, raising some suspicion from L. After five days of surveillance, the esteemed detective decided that he had seen enough.

*** * * January 15 * * ***

It had been several days since L ended surveillance of the two families, and Headquarters had moved yet again. You were in the kitchen getting yourself something to drink, when L walked in.

You turned to the great detective with a raised eyebrow. "Ryuzaki, is there something you need from me?"

He nodded. "The To-Oh University entrance exams are in two days."

You cocked your head to the side. "To-Oh...? Isn't that the University that Light Yagami is looking at?"

"Yes."

Behind L, you could see Mello standing in the doorway, silently listening. You did your best not to give away his presence as you continued to look L in the eye.

"You and I are going to take the entrance exams to keep an eye on Light Yagami when he enrolls in the University."

Mello angrily stomped up to you both before arguing, "Why not me too?"

L turned to face him, bluntly stating, "Your burns haven't recovered enough for you to go out in public without bandages. Robin's injuries no longer cause her pain, and she can hide her stitches with long sleeves and pants. She will attract less attention with crutches than you will with half of your face bandaged."

Mello clenched his fists and narrowed his eyes in jealousy as he briefly glanced at you.

You shrunk back and mumbled a meek, "Sorry, Mello..." 

L grinned as he added, "Also, she can't run away from me with a broken ankle."

Mello visibly tensed as he narrowed his eyes, but he wouldn't dare argue further with the man he idolized so much. He stormed back out of the kitchen after grabbing another chocolate bar.

L turned back to you to explain more. "I will be enrolling as the Japanese student, Hideki Ryuga."

You immediately recognized his intentions. He was using the name of a famous pop star, so the face of the pop star would likely be associated with the name more than L's. If the pop star died suddenly, L would know that Light is Kira. A frown tugged at the corners of your lips. He's putting an innocent life at stake for the sake of winning? Despite your own displeasure at the thought, you remained silent as he continued.

"Although you are still fluent in Japanese, you still have a noticeable accent," he told you. "To prevent the connection of you to working in America, you will be enrolling as the Canadian student, Robin Stone." He frowned. "Normally I would give you another name to go by, but you barely seem to have a grasp on this one. It's still not safe for you to go by your given name, so _don't do it."_

You pouted. "Okay..."

"I will be the one to interact with him directly," he explained. "I want you to observe his behavior from afar."

You nodded before asking, "How will I get to the exam?"

"You and I will be driven separately. Watari will drive me first, and Matsuda will drive you when Light is either gone or inside the building."


	9. Examination

*** * * January 17 * * ***

It was the day of the exam and Watari had left ten minutes ago with L. You were currently in the passenger seat of Matsuda's car as he drove you to To-Oh University. You rested your head in your hand as you watched the scenery go by and mentally reviewed the plan. Light knew Matsuda from working with the police to help solve a few cases, so the detective would not return to pick you up until after Light had left. Although you preferred not to do it, L already had you hack into the university security cameras, so all they would need to do is watch for the young Yagami to leave.

It had been silent for most of the ride before Matsuda decided to break the ice. "So, Robin, what kind of subjects did you like in school?" 

You pursed your lips as you thought for a moment. Thanks to your arrest, you hadn't been in the school system for more than two years, and in your time as Robin Hood, you hardly paid any attention to your formal education. Truth be told, the last time you really focused in class was nearly six years ago, and the topics that your twelve-year old self learned were fairly boring.

A sigh escaped your lips. "I'm really not sure."

"Oh... well, I guess I-"

"Matsuda!" You pointed as you passed the building. 

"What? O-oh!" He sheepishly pulled over to the side of the road several yards past the building. "Sorry, Robin."

You quickly checked your watch, relieved to find out that you weren't late. "It's okay, Matsuda. At least you stopped."

He unlocked the doors and moved to take the keys out of the ignition. Before he could get out to help you, you had already maneuvered yourself and your crutches out the door and onto the sidewalk. You shivered as you realized that your jacket was a bit too light for the weather, and picked up your pace.

As you began your trek toward the entrance, you heard Matsuda open his door and yell out, "Good luck!" 

You blushed lightly at all the looks from strangers you received before awkwardly turning and waving goodbye. After making your way up a set of stairs to the entrance, you followed several signs to the designated testing room. As you entered the half-filled room, you followed the instructor's directions to seat number 87. Several people watched curiously as you crossed the room on your crutches. Out of the corner of your eye, you could see Light Yagami watching you with a bored look on his face and L watching him a few seats away. After about fifteen minutes, the rest of the room had filled up and the tests had been passed out.

The instructor looked at his watch for a few seconds before saying, "Begin."

You immediately began chipping away at the test–the sooner you were done the better. Not even a minute had passed before you heard the instructor walk toward the middle of the room.

"Student 162, please sit properly."

You glanced up to see L pouting at the instructor, his feet on the seat and his knees tucked under his chin. A few moments passed before he complied and the other students returned their attention to their own exams. You glanced back and forth between L and Light. The latter seemed particularly intrigued by the curious detective behind him. You couldn't help but frown. _Ryuzaki's going to get himself killed at this rate._ A few moments passed before you returned your attention to your own work.

Hours upon hours had passed as you took the exam, but you got through it. After the exam, you packed up your pen and pencil, put on your jacket, got up onto your crutches and walked out the entrance. Flurries fell from the sky as you paused at the top of the stairs before moving to the side and preparing yourself to descend.

You had just transferred both crutches to one hand when you heard a familiar voice call out, "Excuse me, Miss."

A frown briefly ghosted your lips before you replaced it with a neutral expression and turned your head to see none other than Light Yagami as he hurried next to you. In the background, you could see L passing by as he watched the exchange.

You froze for a moment as you locked eyes with Light. If he were actually Kira and he figured out the truth, this could be the end for you. _Wait, no. I have my belt if I need it, and Kira can only kill with a name and face. Besides, we don't even know if he's really Kira or not._

As your thoughts returned to the present, Light outstretched his hand. "Please, let me help you– the stairs are slippery and I wouldn't want to see you get hurt."

Knowing that he was right and not wanting to get injured again, you agreed. You thanked him and maneuvered your crutches back under your arms and took a few steps away from the stairs so you wouldn't be blocking them. As you looked out at the road, pretending to look for your ride, Light walked up next to you. 

"My name is Light Yagami, by the way," he offered with a smile. 

You gave him a genuine smile. "It's nice to meet you, Light. My name is Robin Stone."

He briefly glanced to the side before smiling at you, his tone slightly different. "Robin, huh? That's quite an English name you have." 

Your smile faltered as you explained, "Well, English is my first language, but I'm from Canada." 

"Really?" His tone indicated interest, though there was still something off about it. "What is a Canadian woman like you looking at a university in Japan for?"

"I just needed a change in scenery." 

He pursed his lips momentarily before smiling. "I see. Well, I hope this new scenery satisfies that for you."

During that bit of conversation, you noticed L leaving out of the corner of your eye. You managed to keep a neutral expression despite your discontent. With him gone and no cell phone on hand, you had no way of informing Matsuda when it was safe to pick you up. You remembered that when you first met the members of the Task Force, Matsuda had mentioned meeting Light before–actually, Light had met almost everyone before. You wouldn't be able to return to Headquarters until he left.

After a few moments of silence, Light spoke up again. "So, Robin, where are you staying?"

Thinking on your feet, you told him, "I'm staying with a family friend a few towns over. I can't remember how to get there, though, so I'm just waiting here."

Light looked at you in concern. "Why don't I wait with you, then?" 

You smiled apologetically at him. "No, thank you, Light. I can wait. I'm sure that you have a family to go home to, and I wouldn't want you to be late because of me." 

Light seemed slightly taken aback by your rejection before trying again. "Please, I insist. I couldn't just leave an injured and defenseless woman to wait by herself." His expression became stern. "The streets are dangerous this late in the evening."

You knew that he would just keep insisting until he got his way, and if you kept rejecting his offer, Light might get suspicious, so you decided to agree and let him stand with you and wait for the ride that would never come. Over the course of about half an hour, you and Light conversed about little meaningless things like school, and how the people are different here in comparison to those in Canada. Then Light checked his watch and brought up how late it was getting.

He frowned as he asked, "Why don't you call the person you're staying with?" 

You looked out into the road as you continued to spin your web of lies. "I lost my phone, and I can't remember his number." 

After thinking for a minute, Light offered, "Why don't you walk home with me? My dad is the Chief of the Japanese Police; when he gets home, we can give him your friend's name so he can find the address and drive you there."

You were glad that Light wanted to get his father's help–that meant that L would be able to tell him what to do, and you would be brought back to headquarters without suspicion unless Soichiro said anything funny.

"Oh! I thought your name sounded familiar." You smiled graciously at him. "Knowing that, I'm comfortable coming with you." 

Light's face lit up with relief, "Great! Let's go."

You turned and began follow him down the sidewalk.

The two of you casually conversed during the walk until Light asked, "What is your opinion on Kira?" 

You glanced away. "I haven't given him much thought."

"Really?" Light raised an eyebrow, though something in his eyes told you that this was much more than just casual curiosity. "Why not?"

_Why does he care so much?_ You frowned slightly. "I've been too busy to care. It's not relevant to me anyway."

"I wouldn't necessarily say that."

You cocked your head to the side. "Why not?"

"Whether you pay attention to it or not, his actions are shaping the world we live in today," he told you. "Crime rates have gone down slightly since his appearance, but he is causing a divide in the minds of the people. What is right and what is wrong? Most people I speak to either give the politically correct answer of Kira being evil or they avoid the question, but when you look online, there is overwhelming support for him."

You furrowed your eyebrows as you warily treaded forward. "What makes the politically correct answer so wrong if people truly believe it?"

"It's just a flawed argument to say that Kira is wrong for killing criminals when capital punishment is regarded as right," he explained.

You nodded. "You have a point. Do you consider yourself in favor of Kira?"

Light chuckled. "No, I'm just someone who wants all the information before choosing sides."

A small grin tugged at the corners of your lips as you teased, "Sounds like 'avoiding the question' to me."

"No more than you were."

The two of you were silent for a few minutes as you focused more on walking, though you couldn't help but notice Light watching you. His eyes trailed up your figure, lingering only at your casted ankle, your bandaged arms, and the visible scar on your cheek. Over time, your arms grew tired and you started moving slower and slower. Light took notice of this and slowed down to match your pace.

"We're almost there – just a few more blocks," he assured you.

It took another fifteen minutes, but you both made it to Light's house. You followed him through the gates and up to the door.

He let you both in and called out, "I'm home!"

An older woman called back as she walked toward the door, "Where have you been, Light? You were supposed to be home-Oh." She cut herself off as she saw you.

Light gestured to you and said, "Mom, this is Robin."

A younger girl ran over. "Is she your girlfriend?" 

You couldn't help the blush that rose to your cheeks as you stammered, "W-We only just met!"

"No, Sayu," Light cleared up. "Robin's friend forgot to pick her up after the exam, and I brought her here so that dad could help get her home." 

Sayu pouted at her brother's response. "Aw, okay. Nice to meet you anyway."

The middle-schooler ran back to the other room as Mrs. Yagami spoke up. "Well, Robin, my husband might not be back for a while, but you are welcome stay for dinner."

You bowed your head to Light's mother. "Thank you for your hospitality."

"It's no problem, dear!" Sachiko then walked into another room.

As Light took off his shoes he explained, "My father is very busy with his work and has his cellphone off when he's out, so there is no way of contacting him during the day." 

You frowned as a wave of guilt washed over you. "I'm sorry. That must be very difficult for your family."

You carefully moved your crutches and sat down to take off your one shoe. Light helped you stand up again and led you to the dining room table where Sayu was already sitting.

As the four of you began eating, Sayu asked you, "Hey, Robin, how did you break your ankle?"

You paused as you remembered your arguments with Mello, slipping in the bathroom, and Matt carrying you out.

"I tripped."

"Oh." Before you could take another bite, Sayu interrupted again. "How did you get that scar on your cheek?" 

You froze.

Your heart raced as your calm vision of the dining room table was replaced by your dark cell. Your arms were chained above your head and you watched in terror as your captor rushed toward you and sat on your legs.

You squeezed your eyes shut, but that did nothing to stop the clear images from playing out before you.

_"Poor little Robin, stolen away from her keepers. So scared and so dead when I'm through with you,"_ Beyond's voice echoed in your mind before calling out your real name.

_It's not real,_ you told yourself as you felt the Yagami's cool table under your shaking fingers. 

Beyond grabbed the lower half of your face, forcing you to look him in the eye as he forced his blade against your face.

You took a shaky deep breath and focused on the sensation of the table. It was cool to the touch, maybe wooden. The horrific memories began to fade as Mello's face flashed across your eyes.

_"Look at me,"_ his voice echoed as your vision turned to black. _"I'm gonna get you out of here..."_

You opened your eyes and saw an empty plate between your hands. You felt three sets of eyes gazing at you, but you couldn't make yourself raise your head to meet them. 

A few moments passed before you opened your mouth. "I... it was nothing..."

You looked up to find that Sayu was disappointed at your response, but Light and Mrs. Yagami picked up that there was something off about the way you answered. Luckily, before either of them had the time to ask, the door opened and Soichiro walked in. He walked into the dining room, where the rest of the Yagami's greeted him.

Light spoke up. "Dad, this is Robin. She's an international student and is staying with a friend, but he forgot to pick her up after the exam. Could you please help her find his address?"

"It may not be that difficult." Soichiro responded before turning to you, "Robin, is your friend's name Takeshi Moto?"

You knew that L had to have planned this out and nodded.

"There was a young man by that name who came to the station earlier looking for an Robin Stone who looks just like you."

As her husband finished, Sachiko smiled at you. "Isn't that lucky? Your friend was looking for you after all."

Soichiro spoke again. "I'll call the station and have them contact him so he can pick you up. I think he lived not far from here, so you shouldn't be waiting for too much longer." 

You cleared your throat. "Thank you, sir."

He walked into another room to make the phone call to the station–which really meant that he had Watari call him so he could signal whoever was picking you up to leave.

After about twenty minutes, you heard a car pull up and the doorbell ring. Soichiro had you follow him to the door, and Light tagged along too. The door opened to reveal Mello standing there in his fur-lined sweatshirt with half of his face bandaged. You smiled softly at him, thankful to be returning to your normal life with the Task Force again.

He smirked at you before turning to Soichiro. "Chief Yagami, thank you for helping me find Robin."

"You're welcome, but please be on time to pick her up next time."

"Will do, sir." Mello answered before turning to you. "C'mon, get your shoe on so we can go–I left the oven on." 

You couldn't help but giggle at the mental image of Mello baking cookies before sitting down and throwing on your shoe. You were helped up by Light behind you and Mello in front of you, both young men sending light glares at each other. You felt marginally uncomfortable, but pushed the feeling aside. After bidding your thanks and goodbyes, you followed Mello down the path, out the gate, and to the car he drove.

 

A while after you left, Light was back on his computer in his room looking up criminals to kill. In his search, he ran into an old article about an unnamed girl who was found kidnapped and tortured in an abandoned building in northwestern California, in the United States.

The article stated that the kidnapper had not been located yet. He is suspected to be the escaped criminal, Beyond Birthday, who is also the main suspect of a recent set of murders in Los Angeles. When Light clicked on the attached image, he was shocked. The image was of a bloodied young woman with a swollen ankle, whom he recognized as the Robin he was just conversing with, being carried by a young man with blond hair and harsh burns, whom Light identified as Robin's friend Takeshi. 

_Of course,_ he thought. _It all makes sense now. Ryuk laughed when she told me her name because she is going by an alias that her kidnapper wouldn't be able to track. Even after going through what she did, she still needs to continue on with her life. That must be why she's applying to To-Oh. Thinking about it, 'Robin' probably agreed to go with me so easily when I mentioned my father's position because it made her feel safe. Now I know that she was uncomfortable when Sayu asked about her scar because of who did it and all of the experiences around that._

He narrowed his eyes at the image of the suspect on the screen before taking out the Death Note.

Beyond Birthday will die in four days.

*** * * January 18 * * ***

Clouds hung over the outskirts of Tokyo, obscuring the moon and even the brightest of stars. A lone man entered an abandoned warehouse below, he was a fugitive from the law and the great Detective L. He sat in front of a pile of computer screens and pulled out a small, metallic device before plugging it into one of the USB ports. As he waited for the program to load, the dark-haired man shoveled a spoonful of strawberry jam into his mouth.

Another few moments passed before a map of Japan loaded on one of the computer screens. The fugitive placed the jar down and watched carefully as a blinking, red dot appeared over the city of Tokyo. With a few clicks of the mouse, he zoomed in to see a map of the city. The red dot blinked over a set of streets in the west. He zoomed in again and the red dot appeared next to a street, inside one of the most luxurious hotels in Tokyo.

The murderer smiled and took out his notebook. The pages were filled to the brim with notes from every hour of every day beginning almost exactly a month ago. Most of the recent observations were the changing locations of the red dot. They were almost always hotels or on the road to new hotels, with the exception of the previous day's activities. They were always at the high floors of expensive hotels with underground parking garages. They only stayed for a week at most. His notes go on and on.

A slasher smile formed on his lips as he wrote down the current coordinates. Given everything, he knew that they would move again tomorrow night, this time to a hotel near the police station.

"You can't win this time, L," he gloated out loud. "I will end you and replace you as the world's greatest detective." The murderer looked to the blinking dot in the screen. "And it's all thanks to you."

He turned to the skull. "You see, Alice? Now we are ready to strike."

*** * * January 19 * * ***

The sky was cloudy and bleak on this cold winter's eve, and the Kira Task Force headquarters were being moved to yet another hotel. L and Watari were among the first to leave, as usual, and had arrived at the new hotel several hours ago. You and Mello were the last to leave, and this time it was Matsuda's responsibility to drive you. The streets were eerily bare, though you hadn't been out around this time in a while. Given Matsuda's lack of comment on the subject, you decided that it must have been normal.

After driving for a while, Matsuda pulled the car behind a large hotel and into it's underground parking garage. You and Mello gazed out the windows and watched as the older detective navigated his way through the dimly lit passages. When he finally located a group of empty spaces, he parked the car and unlocked the rear doors. You and Mello were quick to get out of the cramped space and into the open.

The lights above you flickered as Matsuda walked to the back of the car to retrieve the suitcases. You repositioned your crutches to make them more comfortable as you awkwardly watched. The lights flickered again before the sound of pounding footsteps echoed throughout the parking garage. Your eyes widened as the pounding got increasingly louder. You directed your frightened gaze behind you only to see a tall man with long black hair rapidly approaching, gun in hand. Your heart stopped when you recognized the Cheshire grin plastered on his face, but it wasn't to remain there for long. It was quickly replaced by pure rage as he got close to your group. A bloodcurdling scream escaped your lips as you tripped in a panicked attempt to get away.

You looked up at Beyond, frozen in fear as he cocked his gun at the group and wailed, "No! You're not him! Where is he? Where is L?!"

The loud clash of gunfire rang out in the parking garage as Beyond jerked backward at the impact of the bullets and dropped his gun before collapsing. You were shaking in terror, unable to turn away from his bleeding body as he moaned the same questions again.

Mello's smirk was almost audible as he commented, "Damn, I've been waiting to do that."

Matsuda came into view, smoking gun pointed at Beyond as he cautiously approached the body and kicked the gun away. "I'll call this in as an attack on an officer. Put your gun in the car so you don't burn yourself with it and take Robin to a safe place."

Mello nodded and tossed his weapon into the backseat before kneeling down in front of you and gently calling your out name. "C'mon, we have to go."

You didn't respond. Your eyes were wide open, but they no longer saw the scene before them. Instead, scenes from your time as Beyond's prisoner played out in your mind's eye once more. Mello sighed, knowing that he wouldn't be able to elicit a response from you in this state. He hooked your crutches up his good arm and onto his shoulder before returning to your shaking form. He slipped one arm under your knees and the other behind your back before lifting you up and carrying you into the hotel.

*** * * January 21 * * ***

It had been two days since Beyond was shot, and over two days since you last slept. After Matsuda's backup made it to the scene, Beyond was hospitalized under guarded surveillance and underwent surgery to remove the bullets. He was currently thrashing about in his hospital bed, having a fit as he cursed at the camera L had installed. At Headquarters, far away from Beyond, L had set up a corner of live video feed and a two way microphone to be used to interrogate the infamous serial killer. Watari was in charge of Beyond's investigation for the time being, while the rest of the Task Force continued investigating Kira.

Mello was sitting next to you on the couch, his arm protectively slung over your shoulder as the two of you looked through information about heart attacks that occurred in prisons. Although he was majorly unaffected by the events two days prior, they were visibly taking a toll on you. The shaking had finally stopped, but your skin had turned a sickly color, contrasting with the new dark circles under your eyes. You tried your best to focus on the case, but every time you heard Beyond's screeching from his surveillance station, you could feel yourself spiraling into a panic attack. It was only Mello's efforts to keep you calm that prevented the full symptoms.

Matsuda had told you that they found a tracking device in Beyond's pocket, and when L decided to test it, the device pointed to exactly where you were. L concluded that Beyond must have implanted a tracking chip in you before Matt was able to access the live video feed of your prison. The mere thought that he always knew where you were had spiraled your already-deteriorating mental condition even further downward.

"L, you bastard!" Beyond's voice cried out. "You're the reason Alice is dead. You killed her! You drove her over the edge. You don't deserve your title! We were going to be better than you, you hear me?!" He groaned as he clearly strained his injuries before screaming out your real name. "I know you're there! When I get out of here, I swear you'll be the first person I kill" He cackled. "Special treatment just for the little birdie!"

You did your best to ignore his threats, but you couldn't stop yourself from inhaling sharply as you squeezed your eyes shut and tightened your grip on your knees. Mello studied your face as you reacted. His eyes widened momentarily when he realized that Beyond was threatening with your real name, just like when he teased Mello with his own.

The blond clenched his fists before turning around and roaring at the microphone, "Over my dead body, you bastard!"

Mello's outburst attracted the attention of everyone else in the room before Beyond's voice snarled back, "I will gladly oblige to- _gack!"_

he beeping from the heart monitor rapidly increased before stopping on a single tone. Your eyes widened as you realized what just happened.

"A heart attack," Soichiro pointed out.

Beyond Birthday is dead.

*** * * January 22 * * ***

Several hours had passed since Beyond Birthday died. It was the wee hours of the morning, so the only members of the Task Force who were awake were you, L, and Mello. Soichiro had gone home for the night, and Matsuda had fallen asleep on top of the files that he was supposed to be looking over. L wanted the original team to finish the work for Beyond's case, so Watari was waiting at the airport for Matt's and Near's arrival.

Beyond's words had shaken you to the core, and you were completely unable to focus on the Kira case. While L and Mello were diligently working, you sat on the couch and fiddled with the Rubik's Cube that Mello had given you. Every time you got close to solving it, Mello took the cube away and messed it up to give you more to focus on. Despite his intentions, your thoughts still strayed to Beyond Birthday.

_Watari had said that the coroner reported that Beyond had no symptoms that should have lead to a heart attack. As a victim, I have to thank Kira for putting me at ease, but as an investigator I have to catch him. Am I really doing the right thing?_ You sighed. _Light was right. It's naive to say that killing is wrong when that's how we treat criminals on a federal level. Still, there needs to be balance._ You frowned. _Kira is killing his competitors – innocent investigators who just want to do what they see as right. That's why criminals are tried in a court of law. Kira may have started with his heart in the right place, but he's going about it the wrong way – something I understand all too well._

Unbeknownst to you, you were turning the sides of the cube faster and faster as you contemplated your stance. Suddenly, a hand came into view, clasping your fingers to the cube and stopping their motion. Realizing that you must have been causing a racket, you quietly apologized.

You looked up, expecting Mello again, only to be surprised that it was L who had grabbed your hand and was looking at you with his signature stare.

"Robin, you should go to sleep," he suggested.

You tightened your lips into a thin line before insisting, "I'm not tired."

His gaze never faltered, but due to your lack of compliance he added, "As your boss, I'm telling you to go to sleep."

You still didn't comply. Instead, you tugged at the Rubik's cube, trying to free your hands from L's as you stared him down with your tired eyes. "No."

L was clearly irritated by your defiant behavior, but he let go, opting to walk behind the couch, toward the kitchen. As you refocused your attention on the puzzle in your hands, you felt a pair of arms grab your waist from behind the couch. You yelped and dropped the cube as you were hoisted over the back of the couch. You were put down to stand on your good foot as L grabbed your crutches and handed them to you before he let go of your waist.

"There. Now, go to sleep." 

You narrowed your eyes at him and just as you opened your mouth to argue, you heard the door open. You, L, and Mello looked toward the door as it opened, revealing Matt, Near, and Watari. Matt immediately crossed the room to greet his best friend. Near, upon spotting his partner, walked over to you. You smiled and met him halfway. As you opened your mouth to greet him, your jaw dropped. Not only was Near smiling–though it was a subtle smile–but, he had grown several inches during your separation.

You couldn't help but marvel at his new height. "You certainly grew a lot. I'm glad to see you again."

"Yes, I did. It's good to see you safe," he answered before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a cellphone. "Here, this was left behind." 

L's stern voice pulled you out of your thoughts. "Robin, go to sleep before I make you go." 

You pouted. "Alright. Goodnight everyone."

 

After his long day of writing down names in the Death Note, Light Yagami leaned back in his chair and folded his arms behind his head in satisfaction.

The notebook's shinigami cackled, "You seem happier than usual, Light. Did you figure out the next step?"

"No, I need more information before I decide." He returned the Death Note to its hiding place. "It's just nice to put a face to the people I'm protecting."


	10. The Merry Men of Nottingham

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Matt turns 19 mid-chapter.

*** * * January 24 * * ***

Two days had passed since Watari arrived with Near and Matt, and they had seamlessly merged into headquarters with you and the others. Near was currently sitting in front of a computer next to L as he finished up a few formalities for Beyond's case, and Watari had just left to bring Mello to a doctor to gauge the healing progress of his burns. You, Soichiro, and Matsuda were gathered around a coffee table going through countless files of potential Kira victims, but the words that met your eyes never seemed to translate through to your brain. An exhausted sigh made its way through your lungs before you placed the file on the table and rubbed your temples.

Matt playfully plopped himself beside you as he addressed you in English. "Hey, how's it going over here?"

Soichiro glanced up briefly before returning his attention to his work while Matsuda blatantly watched, unable to understand as you continued the conversation in English. "The lack of progress is troublesome, but what else is new?"

The gamer nodded. "By the way, you got a bunch of calls while you were gone. I hacked your phone to listen to the messages in case the calls were connected to the case. Know anybody by the names of Kato and Melinda?"

You smiled fondly. "They were my best friends growing up."

Given your lack of ability to concentrate on your task for the Kira case, you decided to see what your old friends had to say. You got up onto your crutches and made your way to the bedroom, followed closely by Matt. 

 

After watching Matt close the door behind him, Matsuda turned to L. "Ryuzaki, how did you find so many smart people to help with the Kira case?"

L thought for a moment before responding, "Somewhere in the world, there is a place that raises smart children. I picked the three most promising students to work for me."

Matsuda hesitated before asking, "Three? But, there are four of them..."

L let out an irritated sigh. "Robin is a special case."

Matsuda opened his mouth to ask about your story, but was quickly cut off by an agitated number-one detective. "Matsuda, get back to work." 

 

After closing the door, Matt mentioned that he was surprisingly unable to trace the phone calls. "These people aren't a part of some secret crime ring, are they?" 

You frowned as you sat down on the bed and pulled out your phone from inside the night stand. "That's not something to joke about. I don't think either of them have even got detention outside of a self-defense incident."

Matt sat down next to you and smirked. "Ah, didn't want to involve them in your big time hacks, Miss Robin Hood?" 

You closed your eyes and pressed your lips together the moment that forsaken name hit your eardrums again. "Near told you, didn't he?"

He nodded. "Yeah, he solved the last message – I'm surprised Mello didn't tell you. It was 'The Queen of Thieves is mine.' He really planned this whole thing a lot more than we gave him credit for."

Your shoulders drooped as you turned away and nodded.

There was a short silence before the redhead spoke again, a hopeful tone in his voice. "Hey, what was it like being Robin Hood? You know, I was a huge fan of yours. It was really cool that you were giving money from corrupt CEOs to charity."

Your expression morphed into a scowl. "There wasn't anything _good_ about what I did. I was young and stupid. They froze out those charities' accounts – I just made everything worse."

"Yeah, but your heart was in the right place," he argued. "I mean, there had to be a reason to why you did it in the first place, right? I've always wondered what exactly got you started."

_The least I can do is tell him._ You sighed. "I was so bored when I started... The people around me, the schoolwork– nothing challenged me anymore. My friend had taught me enough about computers for me to figure out the rest. It started out with me testing my skills in school, but as time passed, even that became too easy. I wanted a challenge – I wanted to change the world, but..."

Matt raised an eyebrow. "But...?"

You shook your head. "I was naive back then. I saw all these articles about greedy CEOs and corrupt companies abusing their workers. They all stayed because of the bad job market, and anyone who tried to get involved was likely paid off to keep the evidence hidden. Those who refused went missing."

"Oh, I remember now," he mused. "After word got out about 'Robin Hood', it opened the floodgates to all of that. After you stopped, the cops eventually found the evidence to press charges on the CEOs." 

"My initial goal was achieved, but at such a great cost." You cast your gaze out the window. "I selfishly disrupted so many lives. Charities went under because of me. I wanted to do the world a service and ended up making things worse. I thought..." You sighed. "I thought that ousting the bad ones would help the companies, but real life is more complicated than my younger self could have possibly imagined. My friend once told me a phrase that her mom always said: when you get rid of the big spiders, what you leave behind are the ones that are better at hiding."

The redhead cracked a smile. "That's a pretty unique way to put it, but I guess she's right."

"And it's exactly what I did." You narrowed your eyes as you confessed, "Besides, something in the power of hacking and getting away with it went to my head. Yes, I became more paranoid because I knew I was breaking the law, but after a year at it, I stopped caring – it became nothing more than a game to me, especially when Ryuzaki got involved."

A hand on your shoulder drew your attention to Matt, who was giving you an encouraging smile. "Hey, at least you recognize it now, right? We can't change anything about the past, but we can work to improve ourselves."

"When most people make mistakes, they don't affect so many lives," you argued. "How could I possibly forgive myself for that?"

"I never said you had to do it right now," he pointed out. "These things take time – just look at Mello."

You sighed as you cast your gaze to the side. A few moments passed before something crossed your mind – something you should have realized much earlier.

You turned back to him. "Matt?"

He leaned back. "Yeah?"

"Why did you follow me here?"

Matt laughed before reaching into his deep jeans pocket and pulling out a device with a screen and several buttons. It appeared to have been taken apart and put back together.

"We still need to find that tracking device," he said, causing you to wince at the thought. "I spent yesterday modifying it to be more specific and like a metal detector. It will work best on bare skin, so you should change into a tank top and shorts," he instructed before getting up to leave. "I'll go get a marker. Let me know when you're ready."

With that said, he walked out the door and closed it behind him. You got back up onto your crutches and made your way over to your suitcase. You had stopped unpacking at each hotel since it was such a hassle to repack your belongings every few days with your injuries. After picking out a light shirt and pair of shorts, you sat down on the bed and leaned your crutches against the nightstand as you undressed and put on your tank top. As you reached down, you saw your bare arms. The stitches did their job to close all of the wounds and some had already fallen out. The anti-scar cream was helping the healing process, but it hadn't completed it's job just yet.

Just then, you heard a knock on the door. "Hey, are you ready yet?" 

"Yes."

Matt opened the door and walked in, closing the door behind him again. He had a marker in his hands and his goggles sitting on top of his head. When Matt turned to face you, he stopped in his tracks. His shoulders drooped and his lips dipped into a frown as his breath got caught in his chest. His softened gaze traveled from the scars on your arms to your legs. You shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, bringing Matt out of his stupor.

As he walked up to you, he explained, "We'll check your exposed skin first and hope for the best. I'll start with your legs so you won't have to stand for too long. You're crutches will get in the way, though, so I'll need you to balance against the wall. Okay?"

"Okay."

Upon your agreement, Matt helped you up, slipping his arm around your waist as you slung your arm over his shoulder. He helped you over to the wall, as you hopped on one foot. After making sure that you were holding yourself up with your hand against the wall and all pressure on your good foot, Matt let go and kneeled down with the modified tracking device.

He started with your right foot before slowly moving the device up and down in front of your leg. He made sure to check each side before moving to your other leg, careful not to touch your injured ankle.

After being sure that the microchip was in neither leg, he stood back up and helped you make your way back to the bed, where you sat down again. Matt sat down next to you and held your arm up to make it easier to check. As his hand gently brushed against your stitches, the same sad look returned to his eyes. His lips tightened into a thin line as he stared at your scars. A soft frown settled on your lips as you watched on.

A sigh escaped your lips before you attempted to ease his apparent feelings of guilt. "Please, don't think this is your fault. You said so yourself: his plan was so much more complex than we thought. Nothing you could have done would have stopped him."

He forced a smile as he gave you an unconvincing, "I know."

The redhead then began moving the tracking device from your finger tips and upward. When he reached a few inches above your elbow, it sounded off. You shuddered at the renewed idea that there was a tracking device implanted in your body. Matt reached for the marker and indicated the exact spot. He then moved the device to the adjacent side of your arm, keeping it perpendicular to the surface so that he could mark the exact cross section.

Once finished, he rose from his spot. "I'll go let Ryuzaki know that I found it. The surgery will probably be tomorrow or the next day, knowing how impatient he is." 

With a smile, he turned toward the door and walked out, closing the door behind him to allow you some privacy so that you could change back into more winter-friendly attire.

After changing, you decided to pick up your phone and listen to your voicemails like you had intended to when you first went into the bedroom. After you entered your password, you put the phone to your ear and listened.

First came the familiar voice of a young man, Kato. "Hey, Boss. We're just calling to see how you have been, but you're not answering, so— _oof!"_

You heard the phone being transferred into someone else's hands before hearing the jovial voice of your oldest friend, Melinda. "You haven't called in forever! Please come to graduation, we miss you~." 

The message ended and a short laugh escaped your lips. _They haven't changed a bit._

Melinda sounded elated in the second message as her recorded voice cried out, "We did it, Boss! I made it into my top choice for college and Kato did too!" You heard muffled cries of protest from Kato in the background as your red-haired friend continued. "He doesn't want me to tell you, but he got into MIT! Isn't that great? Call me back when you get this message~."

The call ended and the next one sounded off.

Kato's voice rang through this time, sounding frustrated. "Please disregard what Melinda said. They didn't give me a big scholarship, and my parents got angry with me when they found out that it would cost so much. I'm not going to go to MIT."

You couldn't help but frown, knowing that he had his heart set on the university for most of his life. The fourth and final voicemail was from about a week ago. 

Kato's voice was shaking as he softly called out your name. "I... I saw an article. It didn't mention your name, but I know it was you from the picture. I, uh... I didn't tell Melinda yet – you know how she is about blood." He laughed dryly, no emotion backing it. "I couldn't find your name in the hospital's database, so I know it was work-related." He paused, inhaling sharply before continuing, "Just, please, um... call me when you get this message."

The call ended, and you slowly lowered the phone to the bed. Your eyes were wide as you took in his words. You put your head in your hands as you fully grasped the situation.

"What am I going to do now?"

*** * * January 27 * * ***

A young man with brown eyes and messy, black hair sat at his desk in the computer department of the high school in your hometown. As president of the computer club, Kato Nakamura had the key to the club room, which he often used during breaks and after school to leisurely browse the web. Today, however, Kato was on a mission. With dark circles lining his eyes, the Japanese teen tirelessly searched for any articles about Beyond Birthday and the fate of his close friend and mentor. He had several tabs of research up already, but the most recent information he could find was from about a month ago, when you were in the hospital with the young blond man who led your rescue team.

While focusing on his research, Kato heard his name being called out. He looked up to see his red-haired and freckled friend, the always upbeat Melinda Carter, as she walked up to him. Kato slowly closed his laptop as the blue-eyed girl approached.

She briefly glanced at his laptop before stopping next to his chair and asking, "Did you find any interesting news today?"

Kato shot out a quick, "No."

Looking unimpressed, Melinda raised an eyebrow incredulously as she folded her arms. "What did you really find?"

The young man began to sweat a bit under the pressure as he tried to change the subject. "So, have you decided which school you want to go to yet?"

Melinda huffed. "I know what you're doing, Kato, and it won't work."

"What?" he asked innocently. "I'm not doing anything, I'm just genuinely curious. I know you weren't sure, so I was wondering if that changed."

She hesitated before perking right back up as she nonchalantly leaned against the desk. "Well, I like California's weather better than Boston's, since it's much warmer and-" She dashed off, Kato's laptop in hand.

Kato's eyes widened like saucepans and he scrambled out of the chair, racing after her. He banked down the hallway to the left as he called out, "Melinda, give it back!"

She sent a smirk in his direction as she kept running down the hall past other students. Kato increased his speed as he weaved in and out of the students in the hallway.

He brushed past a freshman. "Excuse me!"

He ran through a conversation. "Sorry!"

"Melinda!" he cried out as he started gaining on her.

Kato reached his hand out to grab her arm just as she took a sharp right and entered a room. Kato stopped in his tracks as he read the sign: 'Women's Restroom'.

He let out a frustrated groan as he banged on the door and complained, "That's not fair, Melinda! Come back out here and give me back my laptop!"

Inside the restroom, Melinda sat on the closed toilet seat, ignoring him as she opened the laptop to see what her friend was hiding. The first tab was a Wikipedia page on a man called 'Beyond Birthday.' The teen acknowledged the strange name before skimming through the overview.

The article described a man with a mysterious past who was responsible for a set of murders several years ago. He was caught by Agent Naomi Misora of the FBI and was eventually sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The article went on to report that the serial killer escaped from prison and was suspected to be responsible for another series of murders in Los Angeles and a kidnapping, the most recent of which happened a month ago. His current whereabouts were unknown.

Melinda stared at the article as she processed the information. When she looked up at the other tabs, she could see that several of them had similar titles. As she clicked through them, she took note that they were all recent articles about the suspected murders.

As she continued glancing through the tabs, she mumbled, "Why would he be researching this much into a serial killer?"

The next tab she clicked on was an article by a Californian newspaper. As the image loaded, Melinda read the caption: 'Pictured above is the young woman being rescued after three days of captivity.'

When the image loaded, Melinda's eyes went wide. The image captured her best friend, unconscious and covered in blood, being carried by a man with blond hair who had recently sustained horrible burns on his left side at the time the photograph was taken.

She jolted up, letting the laptop crash to the floor as she covered her mouth with one hand and leaned against the wall with the other.

Tears spilled from her eyes as she moaned out your name. "No. Oh my God."

Outside of the restroom, Kato heard the clatter of his laptop on the tiled floor and Melinda's sobbing. He flattened his palm on the door and looked down at his feet.

He sighed, disappointed in himself, before softly calling out, "Melinda?"

Nothing but quiet sobs came from the other side of the door.

Kato closed his eyes as tears accumulated, and he quietly said, "I'm sorry."

*** * * January 30 * * ***

You had decided to put off dealing with your old friends until after your surgery, and Watari had booked the earliest day he could for it. After nearly a week of waiting, you were sitting in the empty waiting room with Mello to your left and Near to your right. Watari was sitting in the corner as he read the newspaper.

Mello had told you earlier that he tagged along because his doctor forgot to refill his prescription last week. Watari was with you because he was paying for the surgery. You weren't sure why Near came along, so you turned to him and addressed him in English.

"Near, why did you come too?"

Your partner looked at you as he twirled his white hair around his finger and explained, "L suggested that I come along as moral support."

Mello pushed his way into your space while he glared at Near, prompting you to lean back as he invaded your personal space with his rivalry.

The blond's voice was low as he growled, "I could have just done it. We don't need you here."

Near seemed completely unphased by Mello's reaction – though, you picked up on a familiar hint of irritation in his eyes.

"You may take longer than you expect," he calmly argued. "I will be able to stay with Robin after her surgery because I am uninjured."

Mello's grip on the armrest tightened with his rising temper. Trying your best to end the argument, you lightly put your hand against his chest. He furrowed his eyebrows as he turned to you and sat halfway down.

You flashed him an awkward smile. "Please, don't fight. I don't want us getting kicked out."

Before he could protest, the nurse at the desk called out, "Mr. Moto, Doctor Song is ready for you."

Mello got up at the sound of his Japanese alias, followed by Watari.

A few minutes later, the nurse called out again, "Miss Stone, you can come back now." 

You got up onto your crutches and followed another nurse into your room. She left to allow you to change into your hospital gown in privacy before returning with a middle-aged woman in scrubs.

The new woman addressed you. "Good morning, Miss Stone. My name is Doctor Ono, and I'll be playing the role of your surgeon today – unless you want to switch places, of course!" She let out a hearty laugh before waving her hand in a dismissing fashion. "All joking aside, lets get started. You will be given anesthesia via a mask so that you aren't conscious for the surgery and so that you don't feel it. The anesthesia will make you feel funny before and a bit after you wake up from the surgery."

You couldn't help the crease in your forehead as you asked, "How bad will it be, Doctor Ono?"

"It depends on the individual," she explained. "I have had patients come out with a light headache and be fine right away, but I have had patients who wake up and vomit or have slight amnesia and need some time to recuperate."

"Oh..."

"During the surgery we are going to move your muscles out of the way and make as few cuts as possible so that we can extract the microchip. It will take about two weeks for your arm to heal, so until then you will have to keep your arm in a sling." Doctor Ono gestured to your crutches. "So, you'll be in a wheelchair until you can walk or your arm heals – whichever comes first." 

After her explanation was finished, Doctor Ono left the room and the nurse wheeled you to another room. There you were helped onto a sanitary table, where you laid down. The anesthesiologist attached the mask over your nose and mouth before instructing you to count down in your mind.

_Ten..._

_Nine..._

_Eight..._

Your face was feeling tingly.

_Seven..._

_Six..._

Your toes were feeling odd.

_Five..._

_Four..._

Your vision was going blurry.

_Three..._

_Two..._

You closed your eyes and slipped into the welcoming arms of unconsciousness.

_The darkness around you faded away and you found yourself in your prison once more. Your clothes were soaked in blood and your arms were chained over your head. The ghastly voice of your tormentor echoed throughout the room as he called out your name. Your heart stopped as you frantically looked around._

_Beyond Birthday appeared at the door with a bloodthirsty smile and his knife in hand. You screamed at the sight of the murderer and he sprinted across the floor to your trapped body. As you watched him raise his weapon above your head, you closed your eyes and leaned back, falling through your shackles and the wall behind you._

_When you opened your eyes again, you found yourself in your hometown, completely unscathed. Panic overwhelmed you as you glanced around for your attacker. Rather than him, you found Kato and Melinda walking through the streets as they called out your name._

_No. They weren't alone._

_Beyond was sneaking up behind the pair._

_You opened your mouth to warn them, but your voice was under lock and key – only a raspy sound making it past your lips. You tried to run to them to protect them from the horrors that haunted you, but each step was like wading through a thick yet invisible syrup._

_You watched on helplessly as Beyond whipped out a gun and shot both of them. As the bullets violently tore through their bodies, Kato and Melinda collapsed into piles of dust. Your legs locked themselves to the ground as you stared on in horror. As much as you wanted to run to them, Beyond was still there. He cackled maniacally before locking eyes with you, his bloodlust clear as he melted into a puddle and down the drain._

_It was only when the wind blew your friends' ashes away when you regained your movement, but you turned around and ran._

_The world around you grew darker and darker with each step. As it faded to black, you heard only the echoes of your pounding footsteps and your shallow breaths. All went silent as you felt a tightness in your chest and you grew short of breath._

_You clutched it as a deep, booming voice rang out from the heavens, calling out to you with your true name._

_**"You have been found guilty of crimes against our Lord Kira. To pay for your sins, I sentence you to DEATH."** _

_Tears streamed down your face as you collapsed to the ground, unable to cry out for help._

Your eyes shot wide-open as you gasped for breath. The world around you was bright and blurry. You could feel your heart pounding, a cold sweat all over your body, and dried tears on your cheeks. You blinked a few times to sharpen your focus before finding yourself in the hospital, attached to a heart monitor.

Near was sitting in a chair on one side of the room as he looked on. The corners of your lips tugged into a frown as you realized that he must have witnessed your reactions to the nightmare. _Hopefully he doesn't say anything about it._ I'm a burden enough as it is. You looked to the other side of the room and much to your surprise, Watari wasn't there. Instead, it was the nurse from before.

"Miss Stone," the nurse began, "I don't know if you remember, but you woke up after the surgery earlier and weren't feeling well, so we let you rest. How are you feeling now?" 

"I-I'm..." You took a deep breath. "I'm a little nauseous, to be honest..."

"I'll get you some graham crackers and water for the ride home. Is that okay, dear?"

You nodded and waited as she went to retrieve the snacks for you.

When she returned, she jotted down a few quick notes on the chart before turning back to you. "I'll help you get changed into street clothes so that you can leave." She then turned to Near. "Sir, you'll have to wait outside. I'll bring your sister to you."

Near nodded his head and got up to return to the waiting room. Once the curtain was closed, the nurse helped you up and into the clothes that you were wearing before. With your arm in its sling and your ankle not fully healed yet, the nurse helped you onto your good foot and into the wheelchair.

As she wheeled you out of the room, the nurse informed you, "Doctor Ono gave your prescription for pain medication to your grandfather earlier. They also wanted to let you know that your crutches are in his car."

"Okay."

When you reach the waiting room, the nurse let Near take control of your wheelchair. As the two of you neared the exit, you met up with Watari and Mello – both of whom were holding onto canes. From the last time you asked Mello about his health, you knew that he was likely hiding that he received his own treatment and would never admit to it. With that in mind, you remained silent as you were all brought back to headquarters.

*** * * February 3 * * ***

You were sitting in your newly modified wheelchair next to the couch. Watari had outfitted the wheelchair to an electric motor and joystick control so that you could silently wheel yourself around without any issues. Matt sat on the side of the couch closest to you with his laptop open in front of him. The two of you were jointly writing a program to help find Kira's victims when Near walked over to L, who was sitting across the room in front of his own computer.

The younger prodigy spoke up. "Ryuzaki, all of the paperwork is completed. The Beyond Birthday Case is officially over."

L took a sip of his tea-coated sugar cubes. "Good."

As you listened in on the conversation, you began to wonder what would happen to you next. _Our purpose is to work on cases that L doesn't have time for. I doubt that he'll keep us here._ You frowned at the thought. Despite your lack of strong feelings against Kira, perhaps even sympathizing with his actions, you didn't really want to leave the investigation. If you were being honest with yourself, you had really enjoyed getting to know the others over the past month or so.

Mello walked by, stopping near the couch to listen as Near addressed L again. "We were only here because of the Beyond Birthday case. Now that it's officially over, what are our next assignments?"

L turned in his chair, looking at the teens near the couch for a few moments before responding, "Your next assignment is to help me complete the Kira case. Nothing else matters anymore." With that said, he turned back to his computer.

Near nodded and made his way to one of the computer screens to begin his work. Mello smiled at the news before continuing with his previous task. Matt redirected his attention to his laptop again, not particularly caring. You looked down at your lap.

L's decision reminded you of the nightmares that kept haunting you every time you slept for the past few weeks, particularly those since you listened to the voicemails left by Kato and Melinda. The more you thought about it, the more you came to the conclusion that your friends – and everyone else that you cared about – could be in danger if Kira were to ever find out about your involvement with the Task Force. You needed to wipe any traces of your past off the grid and sever any connection between you and your childhood friends.

Matt asked you a question about the code you were writing, returning the front of your attention to the task at hand. Still, you continued planning in the back of your mind.

At around three o'clock in the morning, after you and Matt had finished writing and debugging your program, you wheeled your way to the bedroom, opened your laptop and began to set out on your plan. After a quick search through your archives, you found the IP Address to Kato's laptop.

You spent a little over an hour breaking into his computer without setting any alarms off. Once inside, you created a new Microsoft Word Document. Inside the document, you left the address to a safe video chat that you had set up earlier. Following the address, you left short instructions.

> February 8 / 22:00 UTC / Bring Melinda.

You signed the document off with your initials and saved it before leaving his laptop and closing your own. A knock at the door took hold of your attention, and you looked up to find Watari as he walked in and took a seat next to you.

"Robin, you're still having those nightmares, aren't you?"

You pursed your lips as you averted your gaze. "Yeah... every night..."

"Near told me what happened after your surgery." You frowned at the news as the old man continued. "It only confirmed my suspicions. The dark circles under your eyes nearly match Ryuzaki's. He and I have taken note of your inability to focus on the case, as well." 

Your shoulders drooped as you whispered, "Then why keep me on the case? I'm nothing more than a burden to the team..."

Watari took note of your sullen reaction and put a fatherly hand on your shoulder, directing your attention to him. "It's okay to be scared, Robin. These are all normal reactions for what you have been through."

Your gaze returned to your lap as you said nothing. A few moments passed before the inventor reached into his pocket and pulled out a small book with the title:'Living with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder'. You recognized the name of the disorder, knowing it to be common among soldiers who experienced the tragedies of war firsthand.

As he handed it to you, you furrowed your brows. "Do you really think I have PTSD...?"

"I am not qualified to make a diagnosis," he explained. "But whether you have it or not, this book should help you get past what happened and allow you to be yourself again."

You stared down at the book in your hands. _Will this really help me?_

As Watari stood to leave, he added, "One more thing, Robin. Once your arm heals, I want you to take a day off and go do something that you enjoy. Being cooped up in here won't help you."

Once he walked out of the room, you looked back down at the book. You stayed that way for a few minutes before opening to the first page.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I hope that you're enjoying the story so far. I have a question regarding future chapters. As you know from reading the introduction and warnings, there are going to be sexual scenes (yes, plural) in the future. Since you're still here and this story is rated Mature, I'm assuming that you're okay with that, but I wanted to know to what degree. I don't want to make you uncomfortable, so it's really important to me that you let me know.
> 
> To what degree of detail are you comfortable with reading?
> 
> (a) Only as far as implying the events to come.
> 
> (b) Moderate details with some euphemisms.
> 
> (c) Highly descriptive.
> 
> If no one is opposed, I was hoping to write the scenes with a mixture of moderate details and euphemisms directly in the chapter. The scenes that I'm considering this for will always be at the end of their chapters, so it would also be possible to just stop reading that chapter if it gets too detailed. If asked, I may split a chapter to end at the implication and give the detailed scene in its own chapter for anyone who wants to read it.
> 
> As always, any feedback would be appreciated. Thank you and I hope you have a good day!


	11. Old Friends, Loose Ends

*** * * February 8 * * ***

The sun was just starting to rise above the horizon. Its warm rays had just barely reached the hotel room that housed the Japanese Kira Task Force. Once you had your laptop carefully balanced on your lap and a new room key in your pocket, you quietly opened your bedroom door to peak into the main room. As you scanned the area, you found Matt playing one of his handhelds on the couch, Mello rummaging through the kitchen, Aizawa sifting through piles of files at the coffee table, and L occupied at a computer in the corner of the room, facing away from you. Taking advantage of his momentary distraction, you silently wheeled yourself out the door and into the empty hallway. After checking the time, you took the new room key out of your pocket and checked the room number. You then returned the key to your pocket and wheeled yourself down the hallway, coming to a stop once you located the correct number.

You quickly let yourself into the room and locked the door behind you. Then you wheeled yourself to the table, placed your laptop in front of you, and swiftly made your way to the private video chat that you had set up several days earlier. Your webcam was still off, and you opened your voice scrambling program. After confirming that it was exactly six o'clock, you opened the video feed.

Two faces appeared on your screen. On the left sat Kato, a young man with dark brown eyes and messy black hair that was no longer than Near's. His eyebrows furrowed and a worried frown settled on his face as he saw an Old English "R" on his screen. To the right sat Melinda, a young woman with long red hair and a face dotted with freckles. Her sky blue eyes were pained as they frantically skittered across the screen. 

You couldn't help but frown as you spoke into the microphone. "Before we begin, I will ask you a few questions to confirm who you are and that you are alone. Only then will I show you my face."

As Melinda vigorously nodded her head, Kato said, "Okay."

"What's my zodiac sign?"

Kato raised an eyebrow before looking over to the girl next to him.

She looked up as she pondered for a moment. "Hmmm... Your birthday is... Oh right!" She went on to give the correct answer, showing that she perceived no immediate threat.

Of course, it would help to get an answer from the more perceptive of your old friends.

"Kato, what is my favorite color?"

He glanced around the room before looking to the right as he answered, "Green." 

You smiled as you shut down the voice scrambling program. "It has been a while since we've had to use those codes."

The pair returned their eyes to the screen and smiled at the sound of your voice.

As you turned on your webcam, you added, "It's good to see you both."

Kato smiled and his body dropped the tension that it previously had as he sighed in relief.

Melinda's expression fell as her eyes landed on the scar on your cheek and your arm in a sling. "Oh my God. Are you alright?"

"Are you sure? You don't look it." Tears started welling up in her eyes.

"Mel," you tried to stop her.

"Your job isn't safe. Please quit!"

"Melinda," you raised your voice.

"That guy is still out there! Please-"

"Melinda!" You silenced her. "Please, just listen to me."

She looked down ashamedly. "I'm sorry."

You took a deep breath, rubbing your temple with your good hand before looking back up at the screen. "Mel, he's dead."

Your best friend stared at you, wide-eyed in disbelief. "What?"

"The person who did this to me... He was killed."

This time Kato spoke up. "How did he die? I read about him, and he didn't seem easy to catch."

You hesitated for a moment before deciding to tell them. "Have you two heard of someone called Kira?"

Kato nodded his head and Melinda jumped in. "You mean the guy who's been killing criminals?"

"Yes," you confirmed. "We think that Kira killed him."

"How do you know?" she asked.

"He had a heart attack, but nothing that should have lead up to it."

There was a short silence between the three of you before Kato asked, "What kind of work are you even doing now?" 

You shoulders drooped. "Kato, I'm sorry. I can't tell you."

"Right..." Kato looked down at his lap, a small frown present on his face.

Silence settled once more. You did your best to keep a straight face despite what emotions you were going through. Still, though, your eyes gave some of it away. These two were like the family that you never had and they meant more to you than anyone else. You knew that this was for their own good, but it still hurts to let go of the people you love.

You took another deep breath and began. "I need you to do something for me."

Their undivided attention was on you.

"Kato," you began. "I need you to find that article again and get rid of the picture for me. If you see any other pictures of me online, delete those as well."

You could see him fighting off tears as he tightened his lips and furrowed his eyebrows. The brown-eyed teen must have just begun to realize your true reasons for contacting them. He nodded his head. 

After bringing up a new window and making a few keystrokes, you addressed him again. "I'm sending you a code. I need you to save it to an empty USB drive and upload it into one of the school's computers. Once you're done with that, you need to destroy it."

He furrowed his eyebrows. "Why? What is it going to do?"

"It will give me access to delete all of my electronic records in the school."

As the file was sent to his laptop, Kato gulped. After a moment of thought, he uttered a shaky, "Okay." 

"I need one last thing from you both." You waited a few moments as you mentally prepared yourself. "Do not try to contact me again."

Kato looked down, his lips forming a tight line again. He knew that you were leading up to this. Melinda, on the other hand, hadn't figured it out. Her eyes were wide and her mouth agape. Tears began accumulating in her eyes once more.

"Wait for my message. I'll contact you when it's safe again."

They nodded, neither of them able to speak at the moment.

You forced a smile, though it was a sad one. "As thanks, I'm going to-"

The door handle jiggled. 

Your eyes went wide at the sound as you partially turned the wheelchair so that you could face the door. After motioning for your friends to stay silent, you closed the screen halfway and turned the laptop around. The hairs on the back of your neck stood up as you realized that you were completely vulnerable to an attack with only on good arm and one good leg.

Your heart nearly stopped as the door was pushed open, revealing a bandage-less Mello holding what appeared to be lock-picking tools. You tensed at the sight. _If he got in here that way, L must have noticed that I left._ Still, at least it was someone you knew as opposed to a new foe.

You forced a smile. "W-What are you doing here?"

"Ryuzaki sent me." He stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. "What are you doing away from headquarters?"

As his eyes landed on your half-opened laptop, you pushed it further away from him and softly told him, "I'm just taking care of something. I won't be long."

Mello narrowed his eyes as he shifted his gaze from the laptop to you.

His tone was low, almost matching that of all those times you argued that first week so long ago. "Oh, really?"

You swallowed nervously as he took a step toward you and briefly glanced at the laptop again. Still, you didn't want to involve anyone else in this to protect your friends, so you pursed your lips as you stood your ground against him. You carefully wheeled yourself in front of the table, facing Mello a short distance away. Neither of you dared to speak as you stared each other down. He glanced to your laptop again.

Another few moments passed.

"Mello-"

He darted forward, past your incapacitated arm and grabbed your laptop. As you turned your head to follow him, you pushed yourself out of the wheelchair and onto your feet. You stumbled on your healing ankle as you swiveled around, accidentally pushing your wheelchair away. You caught yourself with your good hand on the table as you faced the man behind it.

"Mel-" Your expression dropped. 

He had opened the laptop and was now staring at the two teens on the screen, wide-eyed.

You heard Melinda call out your name. "What's going on?"

Mello narrowed his eyes and turned his attention from the screen to you as he demanded to know, "Who are they?"

You were speechless. Your mouth was open, but you could form no words.

"Who are they and why did you contact them?" he repeated, his voice even lower than before.

You tightened your lips into a thin line before pleading, "Mute it. I'll explain everything then, but they don't need to hear this."

He waited for a moment, taking in your expression before turning his attention to the laptop. You waited as he used the touchpad and clicked on a few things. He then turned the screen to face you, showing you that the video chat and microphone were muted.

"Now close the screen and put it down," you instructed. "She can read lips."

He returned the screen to face him, but did not comply to your demands. He didn't seem to trust that you wouldn't try to grab it and take off. 

Your shoulders drooped. "Mello, please..."

Another few moments passed before Mello grudgingly agreed.

Once the laptop was closed and on the table, he folded his arms. "Well?"

You fumbled with your words as you began your explanation. "Have you ever had someone that you cared about so much that..."

You paused to recollect your thoughts.

After a few moments, you sighed and looked down. "Back in California... Beyond did what he did to me – to both of us," you corrected, "because he wanted to get to L."

As you looked back up, you could see that Mello's expression had softened.

He remained surprisingly quiet, allowing you to continue. "Thanks to Lind L. Taylor, we know that Kira will do anything to get rid of L... probably the Task Force too." You paused before admitting, "That's why I called them... I'm severing our connection. I can't leave the possibility of them getting hurt because Kira wants to get to the Task Force."

Mello looked you straight in the eye. "How do I know that you're not leaking information about the case to these people?"

You groaned, "Then just stay here and listen. I need to do this whether you believe me or not."

He took in your expression, waiting for a few moments as he made his decision.

"Fine." 

Mello pushed your laptop across the table to you and took a seat. You removed your hand from the table and limped to the nearest chair. Once sitting across from the blond, you pulled your laptop back to you, opened it, and turned on the sound.

Before you could even speak, Melinda was yelling out to you, "Who was that guy? What's going on?"

"Sorry, everything's fine," you explained. "He's a coworker of mine. He just wanted to make sure I wasn't leaking information – that's all. Anyway, to thank you guys, I have wired money into both of your bank accounts to pay for your college tuitions for the next four years." You looked directly at Kato as you added, "It's enough for MIT if you still want to go."

He was speechless. Melinda smiled at him and shook his shoulder excitedly.

Mello jumped in, his eyebrow raised incredulously. "Where the Hell did you get the money for that? We don't get paid _that_ much."

You glanced up at him. "I'll tell you later." 

As you brought your attention back to your friends, Kato spoke up. "Won't it look suspicious if we suddenly had all that money?"

You thought for a moment. "If they do suspect you, I'll be sure to have 'my boss' leave a message. They won't give you any trouble then."

"You wouldn't." Mello narrowed his eyes at you.

"For them, I would," you insisted. "I doubt he would care anyway."

Your tone reminded Mello how seriously you were taking their safety, and he certainly didn't blame you for it. He stopped arguing, allowing you to continue.

As you looked back up at the screen, you saw Kato smiling sadly. "Thank you."

You returned his smile as you began to wrap up. "I'll call you again when it's safe. Don't worry about me, though. It's your senior year – enjoy yourselves."

Kato nodded, unable to make eye contact and respond.

Melinda wiped her falling tears as she looked up at the screen. "I-I'll miss you."

Tears began to well up in your eyes. "I'll miss you too."

The three of you bid your farewells, not wanting to drag this out any longer. Once you turned off your laptop, you looked up at Mello.

He leaned his folded arms on the table. "Before we head back, mind telling me how exactly you have all of that money?"

You raised an eyebrow. "Didn't Near tell you how Ryuzaki found me?"

A few moments passed before he deduced, "So you took some of that cash for yourself and he never bothered to make you give it back..."

You nodded. "I can't even donate it like I wanted to – not in large sums, anyway."

"Right. That's what got you caught in the first place," he mused.

You glanced to the side. "Well... that was part of it, but not the final nail in the coffin."

The blond raised an eyebrow. "Then what was?"

A few moments passed as you looked him in the eye, lips pursed as your mind played out that scene again. An argument that escalated beyond your expectations. He pushed you too far. Your fist connected with a loud crack. They pulled you apart. He was bleeding. You didn't mean it.

"Hey, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

You tensed as your senses returned to the present. As you looked up, you found that Mello was frowning.

A sigh escaped your lips as you looked to the side. "No, it's just... I was so different back then. When I look back on what happened, I don't recognize myself. I don't... I don't want to be remembered that way."

Mello glanced to your laptop. "Did they get involved in the end?"

"Not directly. It was my own actions that led to it." You paused for a moment. "It's kind of a long story."

He leaned back as he stretched out a leg and rested his arm on the back of his seat. "I've got time."

A soft smile graced your lips before you took a deep breath and began your tale.

 

Once Kato had carefully returned his laptop to his backpack, he followed Melinda out of the old tree fort that the three of you had built as children. He was silent as he followed the redhead to her car. As they drove, he thought back to you and the blond man who had interrupted your conversation– Mello, as you called him. Kato knew that he had never met the man before, but if that was the case, then why did he seem so familiar?

Melinda had been surprisingly quiet throughout the car ride, so Kato was surprised when she pulled up to his house already. The two bid a short goodbye as he exited the car and she drove off. He stepped into the small house, locking the door behind him. It was silent as he walked in: his parents must have been working late again. The young man sighed before walking into the kitchen and setting his backpack on the table.

After grabbing a microwaveable dinner out of the freezer and heating it up, he returned to the table and powered on his laptop. He took a bite out of his meal and brought up the article that he had bookmarked so he could hack into it and remove the picture. As the page loaded, it his eyes went wide and it finally occurred to him.

Mello was the man who saved you.

 

Later that night, once her parents and siblings were asleep, Melinda locked her door and turned on her laptop. The screen lit up her dark room and she logged into her homepage. She went to the section of the website for thank you messages and left her own.

"Dear Kira, Thank you for killing Beyond Birthday. He hurt my friend, but now I know that he can't hurt her anymore. You have put me at ease once again."

Little did she know, her message would be seen by the man himself.


	12. Could it be Fate?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a bit earlier than planned, but to make up for the relatively short length of the previous chapter, I decided to release this one today. There's some familiar things here, but a new scene too – one that actually inspired a scene that ultimately went into _The Fawn._
> 
> Oh, I did hear one thing that may interest you. A while back, plans for a new American _Death Note_ movie had been going around, though it never actually happened. I just heard recently that Netflix was in the middle of talks to get the rights to the film/script. Here's hoping that if it works out, the end product is good.
> 
> Anyway, I hope that you enjoy the chapter!

*** * * February 21 * * ***

It had been a few weeks since you cut off communication with your childhood friends. Although it was hard to do at the time, everyone had been doing what they could to help you get through this. What stuck out most in your mind was when Mello told you that he was going to teach you how to shoot a gun. He didn't even leave it as an option, insisting that you needed to learn how to protect yourself better than your nervous fighting style. Despite the fact that it had been two months since your rocky first week together, you still had moments where you found it surprising how nice he had been to you.

Without the stress that you previously had about your friends, you have found yourself able to sleep a little more soundly at night. You still had dark circles under your eyes from not sleeping enough, but they were not as bad as L's anymore.

While your mind slowly recovered from your trauma, your body had been healing its physical wounds. You were starting to be able to walk on both feet without assistance for short periods of time, though you still carried the cane that Mello had given you. Just yesterday you were given permission to take your arm out of it's sling. Many of your scars were rapidly healing with the help of your anti-scar cream. Unfortunately, the scar on your cheek was healing the slowest, reminding you of the events that led to it each time you looked in the mirror.

You weren't the only person healing, though. Just recently, you began to take note that Mello had been regaining more mobility again and his scars were starting to visibly disappear. 

Having already gone through all of the new Kira murders that were reported today, you decided to do something else that you had hoped would help you recover faster. You sat in a chair in a secluded part of the room, your cane leaning next to the wall behind you. You munched on a light snack as you re-read the PTSD book that Watari had given you.

There was one section that had been standing out to you since the first time that you read it. Whether you were comfortable admitting it or not, these words felt like they were written for you.

> "Support from other people is vital to your recovery from PTSD, so ask your close friends and family members for their help during this tough time."

You couldn't help but sigh as you dissected the sentence again. _I'm still conflicted about leaving my friends behind, and I don't know if I fully trust the people here with my feelings._

"Robin."

You were pulled out of your thoughts and looked up to find L standing in front of you. His arms were extended outward as he held the corners of a sheet of paper between his thumbs and index fingers. As you looked more closely, you could see that it was a letter that had been intercepted on it's way to a remote town in Canada and that it was addressed to Robin Stone: your To-Oh alias.

L spoke, returning your attention to him. "You have been accepted to To-Oh University." 

You couldn't help but sigh in relief. "That's good. I was a little worried about how well I did."

"I have also been accepted," he informed you as he handed over the letter. "Now you can use your assigned login information to create your schedule for next semester."

You briefly looked over the information in the letter before returning your attention to L. "So, how are we going to organize our schedules? Obviously around Light's, but..."

L stared at you owlishly as he responded, "I'm getting to that."

"Follow me." He motioned for you to stand. "I'll need your help before we choose."

As he backed away, you put down your book and stood. After grabbing your cane, you followed L out of the suite that housed the Task Force Headquarters and down the hallway to another room. L unlocked the door and let the both of you in, revealing your laptop sitting on the dining table in the middle of the room. You followed L to the table and took a seat in front of your laptop. Assuming that he wanted to use it for your schedules, you powered it on.

As you logged in, L informed you, "I had Matt plant a bug in the To-Oh scheduling system while you slept last night. All we need to do is find Light Yagami's schedule and base our schedules off his." He then continued on, giving you the information that you needed.

After you were logged into your laptop, you began hacking into the scheduling system. L curiously watched your work over the next half hour as you cautiously followed the path that Matt's bug had opened up for you overnight.

While you waited for Light Yagami's schedule to load, you broke the silence. "Assuming that Light has already declared his major, will you be in his core classes or will I?"

L's eyes never drifted from the screen as he told you, "I will. I already have a plan that will require that."

Once the schedule loaded, you took a screenshot of the page for later reference and exited the system. You then opened the screenshot and the two of you read through the information.

> _Yagami, Light_
> 
> Major: Criminal Justice
> 
> Spring Schedule:
> 
> CJS 101B - Introduction to the Japanese Criminal Justice System (4 credits)  
>  ::: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 8:00am-8:50am :::
> 
> COR 101E - Introduction to Corrections (4 credits)  
>  ::: Monday 1:00pm-1:50pm, Wednesday 10:00am-10:50am, Friday 12:00pm-12:50pm :::
> 
> MAT 110A - Math and Quantitative Reasonings (3 credits)  
>  ::: Monday, Friday 11:00am-11:50am, Wednesday 1:00pm-1:50pm :::
> 
> CSE 101C - Introduction to Programming and Problem Solving (3 credits)  
>  ::: Monday, Tuesday 9:00am-9:50am :::
> 
> CSE 102 LA - Intro. to Programming Lab (1 credit)  
>  ::: Thursday 9:00am-11:50am :::
> 
> PSY 101A - Introduction to Psychology (4 credits)  
>  ::: Tuesday 10:00am-10:50am, Thursday 8:00am-8:50am, Friday 9:00am-9:50am ::: 
> 
> HEC 101C - Cooking (2 credits)  
>  ::: Tuesday 1:00pm-2:40pm :::

L spoke again, drawing you out of your thoughts. "We'll do your schedule first."

You acknowledged his orders and opened a regular internet browser before using your new To-Oh login.

As you opened the registration page, L instructed you, "Declare your major in Psychology." 

You furrowed your eyebrows slightly. "It's an intriguing subject, but shouldn't we pick a major that would put me in more classes with him?"

He blankly stared at you as he replied, "I'll major in Criminal Justice to cover his core classes. I don't want Light to associate the two of us, so you and I can't have classes together." 

"Yes, but he would be less suspicious of you if you were the Psychology major," you argued. "It would be safer for you that way."

L was silent for a few moments as he stared knowingly at you. "Robin, just because you were a criminal, that doesn't mean that you have to punish yourself like this."

His words cut to the truth like a hot knife through butter and you immediately pursed your lips and looked away. "W-Well, I'm not as important as you are to the world. Shouldn't we be keeping you safe above all else?"

You waited, eyes trained on L's face as he contemplated his response.

After a few moments, he finally spoke. "I plan to reveal myself to him at the opening ceremony."

Your eyebrows raised as your mouth fell agape. "But Ryuzaki... If he really is Kira, that would put you in danger. You could die."

"My decision is final, Robin," he sternly countered.

You opened your mouth to argue again, but you found no appropriate words. After a few moments of trying, you gave up and tightened your lips into a frown. 

As you changed your major from Undecided to Psychology, L spoke up again. "He shouldn't be able to kill me without my real name. If he tries to kill me as Hideki Ryuga, he'll likely kill the pop star. Even if he does somehow manage get my real name and kill me, you will be the first to know and it will be your responsibility to apprehend him at school."

Your expression remained the same and you made no efforts to respond to him.

L sighed at your stubbornness before addressing you with your name. "This is for your own safety too. I'm willing to risk my life this much, but you've been through enough." 

You sighed and looked down before offering a defeated, "I appreciate the consideration and I understand your reasons. I'll do as you say, but I still don't think that it's safe."

L put a hand on your shoulder, directing your attention to him. He smiled, clearly grateful for your cooperation. As he removed his hand, you both returned your attention to your registration cart and you signed up for your core courses.

> PSY 101A - Introduction to Psychology (4 credits)  
>  ::: Tuesday 10:00am-10:50am, Thursday 8:00am-8:50am, Friday 9:00am-9:50am :::
> 
> CSE 101C - Introduction to Programming and Problem Solving (3 credits)  
>  ::: Monday, Tuesday 9:00am-9:50am :::
> 
> CSE 101 LA - Intro. to Programming Lab (1 credit)  
>  ::: Thursday 9:00am-11:50am :::
> 
> MAT 140 - Introduction to Statistics (3 credits)  
>  ::: Online ::: 

After registering for the classes, L pointed out, "You're one credit short of full time. Sign up for the elective that he's taking."

With your new schedule finalized, you logged out and allowed L to log in. As he changed his major from Undeclared to Criminal Justice, you mentally reviewed Light's schedule in comparison to your own. There were only three classes left to fill, each were core courses of the Criminal Justice curriculum. As you contemplated, L signed up for four courses.

> CJS 101B - Introduction to the Japanese Criminal Justice System (4 credits)  
>  ::: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 8:00am-8:50am :::
> 
> COR 101E - Introduction to Corrections (4 credits)  
>  ::: Monday 1:00pm-1:50pm, Wednesday 10:00am-10:50am, Friday 12:00pm-12:50pm :::
> 
> MAT 110A - Math and Quantitative Reasonings (3 credits)  
>  ::: Monday, Friday 11:00am-11:50am, Wednesday 1:00pm-1:50pm :::
> 
> ENG 210 - English Language Studies (3 credits)  
>  ::: Online ::: 

After he hit enter to finalize his schedule, an error message appeared on the screen.

> _"MAT 110A full, no longer available."_

A moment of silence fell between the two of you before L spoke up, irritation clear in his voice. "Would it be possible to hack the system and place me in the class?"

"Well, yes, I could do it, but I wouldn't advise it." 

"What do you mean?"

"I can get you in with ease, but there are a few issues," you explained. "First, they cap classes by the amount of seats they have in a room. If I add you in, someone is going to be left standing. Second, the list of enrolled students is ordered by time and there is no way around that. Since you didn't go through the Registrar, your name being at the bottom of the list will set off some red flags."

"I see." He put his thumb to his lip.

After a few minutes of contemplation, L spoke his mind, "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to sign up for another section of that course for now. I'll contact the registrar when I can."

With a few strokes of the keyboard, he finished his schedule for now.

"If I can't switch, I'll just show up for the exams. I have better things to do," he mumbled to himself.

After logging out and shutting down your laptop, L addressed you. "There is one more thing we have to do to prepare for To-Oh."

You mentally reviewed all that had been done. "What is it?"

"We will need separate modes of transportation," he told you. "I'll pay for whatever you want, no matter how expensive." 

You hesitated. "Why?"

L waited for a moment, owlish eyes boring into your own before he finally responded, "It's to ensure your safety, and... this is also to apologize for being what ultimately caused your kidnapping." 

Your gaze faltered as you felt a pit form in your stomach. "Thank you, Ryuzaki, but I don't need anything."

"Yes, you do," he argued.

"Driving would take too long in a city."

"Okay, then would you prefer riding a bike to To-Oh or taking a bus there?"

You frowned. "It's fine, really. I'll just walk."

"I didn't offer that for a reason, you know," L stated. "Walking would be dangerous, particularly during your early morning commute on Thursdays. If you encountered an attacker who was faster and stronger than you, you could be killed or seriously injured. I would much prefer it if you didn't walk." 

Your heart skipped a beat. "Maybe you're right..."

He smiled, clearly relieved. "Thank you for being reasonable, Robin. Now, which would you rather: biking or taking a bus?"

After thinking for a moment, you told him, "I'll go with biking. It's close enough to walking to keep me out of a bus, but fast enough to be safer than walking."

L stood and said, "I'll have Watari take you to a bike shop, then."

You followed him out of the room and back to the suite that held Headquarters. L instructed you to wait by the door while he motioned for Watari to come over. Once the veteran approached the two of you, L informed him of your decision to ride a bike to To-Oh. You then followed Watari out of the building and off to a nearby shop where you purchased a bike.

*** * * March 10 * * ***

Another few weeks had passed and L had finally decided to ship Mello's motorcycle and Matt's car from the US to Japan. Once he finally admitted that the Kira case would likely last for a long time, he decided that it would be best if everyone with a vehicle had it with them. If nothing else, they would be useful for constantly moving around.

While the two young men were excited to have their rides again, you sat on the couch, diligently working away.

Your body had been healing nicely over the past month. You had just regained full use of your arm and you only carried the cane on bad days now. Most of your scars were far less visible, though the one on your cheek was healing as slowly as ever.

Watari had still been telling you that it was time for you to take a day off from the case and do something that you enjoyed. After he told you for what seemed to be the millionth time, you started to think that maybe you should take him up on that offer.

"Robin."

You looked up from your spot on the couch to see Watari addressing you again. There was no doubt in your mind that he planned to try to coerce you into breaking from the case, but you decided to feign innocence in hopes that your assumption was incorrect.

"Is there something that you need from me, Watari?"

He held a hand out for you. "Come with me for a moment."

You had half the mind to refuse his hand, but you complied. The old man helped you stand and led you to a corner of the suite. You were just out of eavesdropping distance, but close enough to see the others diligently working away on the case. Your gaze was redirected to Watari as he spoke.

"I want you to take a break from the case. You need to get out of the hotel once in a while."

You frowned at the suggestion, your heart rate rapidly increasing as your mind turned to all that lurked out there. You averted your eyes and gave him the same answer as usual. "The case is more important. I should be focusing on that."

"There are many others working on the case. You can afford to take a break."

Your frown deepened, knowing that he knew that your response was nothing more than an excuse. Watari placed a grandfatherly hand on your shoulder, redirecting your attention back to him.

"Robin, I can't let this go on any longer. I have witnessed first hand what happens when you allow your fears of the outside world to fester, and it is not something that you want to subject yourself to." His soft gaze crossed the room.

You followed his eyes to see that he was looking at L and Near. The pair sat in front of a set of computer monitors, still barely eating. Both were sporting dark circles under their eyes from many sleepless nights.

"They may be smart, but neither of them have truly lived outside of their cases," Watari told you.

You sighed and looked back down at your feet.

"Tell me, Robin," he began. "What activities did you enjoy before you were caught?"

You thought for a moment before answering, "Well, I used to like to take walks in the park..."

"I'll take you to one, then."

You furrowed your eyebrows and shrunk back slightly.

Watari reassured you, "I'll stay close enough that no one can harm you. You need to get yourself back out into the world, Robin."

You hesitated for a moment, but deep down you knew that he was right. You agreed and followed him out of the suite.

 

When you first arrived at the park, you found yourself skittish and paranoid. It took quite a bit of prodding from Watari to convince you to walk ahead. As you walked, your eyes jumped around, trying to look for the slightest glimpse of imminent danger.

There was nothing to confirm your fears. Instead, you saw a nearly empty park. The grass was a pale green that was just starting to grow. As you slowed your pace and more thoroughly observed your surroundings, you noticed that cherry blossom trees lined the pathway. Your tense, defensive posture began to relax.

You looked up at the trees to find that the cherry blossoms were still only buds, but they were beautiful nonetheless. A smiled formed on your lips as you stopped and touched the bark of the tree next to you. The tree was just like the ones in Washington DC, but it was more beautiful to see in its homeland.

"Watari," you looked over to the old man with a soft smile. "You don't have to stay. I'll be fine."

He returned your smile and lightly bowed his head. "You know how to contact me when you want to leave."

You nodded at him, and with that, he left. After that, you continued walking down the path. Other than the tree lining, the park had several benches, a few open fields for families to play in, and what appeared to be a small koi pond. The park was empty of people except for a few teens here and there. The main populations were the birds and the fish.

A light breeze fluttered past you, so you tightened your jacket to protect yourself from the chilly gust. After walking for a few more minutes, you decided to take refuge on a bench in view of the pond. You smiled softly as a few birds flew by, attempting to build their nests for the coming spring. Despite being thousands of miles away from home, the park made you feel just as welcome.

"Robin?"

You looked to the sound of the voice to see a familiar pair of siblings standing near you.

Eyebrows raised in disbelief, you asked, "Light? Sayu?"

The eldest smiled softly at you. "It's nice to see you again, though I'm surprised to see you here. I thought you would have returned to Canada by now."

Your own smile faltered. "Well, I thought it would be easier to stay here while I waited to hear back from To-Oh."

The young man raised his eyebrow. "And your friend was okay with this?"

A moment passed as you recalled the excuse that you gave the Yagami's, the memory of Mello taking you home flashing across your mind. "Oh, no. He doesn't mind at all. He has been taking care of me very well."

Light nodded his head, and then his sister spoke up. "Is he your boyfriend?"

Your cheeks flushed a bright red as you pressed your lips together. After a moment of thought, you recognized why she would assume 'Takeshi' was your boyfriend. It _was_ a little strange to be staying at someone's house for two months, especially if the option to return home was there. It only made sense that she had assumed that there was something more to your reasons to stay in Japan.

"Sayu!" Light chided. "It's rude to ask people questions like that."

You laughed lightly. "It's alright, she meant no harm." You turned to Sayu as you added, "But, no, it's nothing quite so intimate as that. We're just friends."

She grinned before looking off to the side. "Oh! I see my friends over there. Bye Light! Bye Robin!" She then took off toward two young teens.

"Sayu!" Light called out. "Call me when you're ready to go home. I'll meet you here again."

She turned and waved to her brother before joining her friends.

"My dad doesn't like Sayu to walk anywhere by herself, so I had to bring her here to meet with her friends," Light told you.

You smiled at him. "That was very kind of you."

"So, what are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to go on a walk. I stopped here to watch the scenery," you explained.

Another gust of wind blew by, making you shiver again.

Light pursed for a moment before asking, "Do you want to go to lunch with me? There's a café nearby. It would also help you warm up a bit before you go back."

You smiled up at him again. "I would love to."

He offered his hand and helped you stand up before guiding you down the path.

 

Sayu and her friends watched intently from behind a bush as Light helped you stand. One of her friends slumped down behind the bush and began picking dead leaves out of her black hair.

"I don't get why you're so intent on your brother dating Robin if this is only the second time they've spoken," she dully commented.

Sayu shushed her friend. "You don't get it, Mai. Light never takes girls home, even the ones he dates, but he brought Robin home."

"So, what? Didn't he give you a reason for it?" Mai retorted.

The girl with auburn hair spoke up. "Sounds like someone's jealous~."

Mai shot a glare toward the girl. "You know who I like, Yumi, and it's not him. I'm just being reasonable."

"I think it's more than the reason he gave me," Sayu told her friends. "I think that Robin is tied to the other end of Light's red string of fate."

Mai raised an eyebrow incredulously. "You don't really believe in that fairy tale, do you?"

As you and Light began to fade out of sight, Sayu left her friend's question unanswered. Instead, the brunette ushered her friends to follow her as she stood. Yumi excitedly jumped up, followed by a more reluctant Mai. The trio was cautious and silent as they trailed the older teens.

 

You thanked the waitress as she gave you your drink and pastry.

"As I was saying," Light began. "I'm glad to know that you got accepted too."

You smiled at him. "Me too, but about you. It will be nice to already know someone when we start."

You took a sip from your drink.

"What's your schedule like?" he asked after taking a bite from his pastry.

"Um..." You stopped eating to think. "I don't remember the exact classes off the top of my head, but I know that most of them are in the morning. I think that I have Wednesdays off, though."

"Really?" He raised an eyebrow. "How did you manage that?"

"I had to sign up for an online class because the on-campus sections were all filled up by the time I made my schedule."

"Oh, I see." Light took a sip from his drink. "Well, I hope that we have some classes together. I've enjoyed talking with you."

As you smiled at his words, the sound of muffled giggles rang out from the other side of the café. You directed your attention to the source and saw three young teens sitting at a table in the corner. You caught a glimpse of Sayu's face before the trio held up menus, blocking your view.

"It looks like we have company," you said as you nodded your head toward the girls.

Sayu and the girl with auburn hair rushed out the door as Light turned to look. His eyes went wide when he recognized his sister. The girl with long black hair remained seated for a moment, looking between you and Light. With a shrug of her shoulders, the girl stood and calmly walked out of the café, presumably to find her two friends.

Light narrowed his eyes slightly as he glanced to the side before returning his attention to you with an apologetic smile on his face. "I'm so sorry about that. Sayu has never followed me like that before."

You smiled softly at him. "It's alright. I had a friend who used to do that all the time. She worried about me a lot."

He smiled back at you, but before he could speak, your phone rang.

Blood rushed to your cheeks. "I'm so sorry. I'll be right back."

You rushed to the bathroom before answering your phone. "Hello?"

Near's unaltered voice rang through the other line. "Robin, we just received more information on the most recent murders. Ryuzaki wants you back at Headquarters. I'll send Watari to pick you up."

It was then that you were forced acknowledge that – as nice as he was to you – Light was still a suspect. He couldn't see you with Watari because the old man was likely to be the person to drive L to To-Oh. Given what happened at the entrance exam, it was also likely that Light would try to walk you back.

"Wait. Can you send Mello?" you whispered.

After a short silence, Near responded, "Yes."

You then gave him the name of the café and some quick directions to it from the park. After that, you bid a quick goodbye and returned to your table.

As you sat down, Light asked, "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, but my friend wants me to come back soon."

"Oh." A subtle frown took form on Light's features. "Do you want me to walk you there?"

An apologetic smile settled on your lips. "Thank you for the offer, but he's actually on his way to pick me up right now."

"I'll wait with you, then."

You thanked him before the two of you stepped outside the café to wait. As you looked across the street at the view of the park, you spotted Sayu and her two friends attempting to hide behind a tree. After a few minutes of small talk, your voices were interrupted by the roar of a motorcycle as it pulled up in front of you. The rider stood and removed his helmet, revealing Mello's mess of blond hair and his scar. He briefly met your gaze before frowning and narrowing his eyes slightly at the man beside you, whose eyebrows furrowed as he held Mello's glare.

You winced slightly before turning to Light with a forced smile. "Thanks for treating me to lunch. I'll see you at the entrance ceremony."

He pulled his attention to you with a confident grin – one that made your heart skip a beat. "Of course; I don't see why anyone would refuse to treat a kind woman like yourself. Your company is always welcome. I'll see you in a few weeks."

You couldn't help your honest smile as you turned around and stepped toward Mello, your attention still on Light. It was only when a helmet was pressed on your head when your eyes widened and you fully faced the blond. You soon found Mello's face surprisingly close to yours, his brows furrowed and his lips pursed as he reached for the strap under your chin. You reached up as your shock subsided, but he caught your hands just after finishing.

"I could have done it myself," you mumbled.

Mello glanced to Light before looking you in the eye and emphasizing, "I just want to make sure that you're safe."

Your shoulders drooped as you glanced to Light and averted your gaze. He may have been somewhat concerned with the helmet, but you knew who he was really talking about. Even if this was only the second time you had spent time with the Japanese teen, Mello had already made it clear last time how much he disliked the man. Of course he would be worried about you hanging around the main suspect of the Kira case. You just hoped that Light took it as though your friend was just overprotective – and perhaps he was.

Mello released your hands before putting on his helmet and getting on his motorcycle. You waved one final goodbye to Light before climbing on behind the blond and wrapping your arms around his waist. Without giving you time to spare the suspect another glance, he sped off.

Once you returned to headquarters, you explained what happened to everyone. L was initially less than pleased to find out that you were spending time with his main suspect, but after a few minutes of thought, he concluded that it could be an advantage. The detective spent a few hours picking your brain for specifics about the experience, clearly hoping to find something that he could use as evidence that Light was Kira. While you complied with his request, you knew that it was just a waste of time. As the interrogation went on and on – Near chiming in partway through – one thought remained at the back of your mind: you never wanted to be as paranoid as they were. With that in mind, you realized exactly what Watari was trying to prevent.


	13. Let the Games Begin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I just wanted to give you a heads-up regarding updates. As of right now, I only have one more chapter pre-written (to be posted in a week.) This week is really busy for me regarding projects and such, so I'm not sure if I'll actually be able to get the next few chapters done in time (though, I think the next chapter will be a pretty satisfactory place to leave off before a break.) Anyway, I just wanted to warn you that there may be a week or two where I can't actually update (being the first and possibly second week of May.) After that, I'll probably try to get back to updating twice a week.

*** * * April 4 * * ***

The sun was beginning its final dip below the horizon on this cool spring day. Rather than watching the scenery, the members of the Task Force diligently worked away in the newest suite to hold the headquarters. You were sitting at the dining room table next to Matt as you focused on your laptop screen. You were working on the finishing touches on the program that would complete your online statistics course for you. As a final test, you input the address of a webpage filled with statistics problems and let your program work through each of them. The output of each of the fifty questions came less than a minute later. As you compared the program's results to the given answers, you smiled: the program got all fifty correct. As you saved the final product, you heard someone quietly stepping into the kitchen.

"I need you two to come with me," the masculine voice began. "We need to discuss something."

You and Matt looked up from your tasks to find L hunched over across the table. You nodded before following him out of the kitchen, past the Task Force members in the main room, and into the large bedroom. Inside the bedroom, Near was sitting on the floor as he fiddled with a toy robot. On the other side of the room, Mello leaned against the bed, arms crossed as he refused to look at his younger rival. As you and Matt walked into the bedroom, L shut the door behind you. Matt immediately sat down on the bed near his friend. You frowned as you noted the situation between Mello and your partner before walking to the bed and becoming a separation between the two. The four of you looked over to L and waited for him to begin as his eyes surveyed the group.

A few moments passed before the renowned detective spoke. "As you already know, I plan to reveal myself to Light Yagami at the entrance ceremony tomorrow."

The group remained silent as L paused.

"I have decided to invite him to join the Task Force," he informed you.

Matt shrugged in acceptance, but his best friend was less than approving of the idea.

"What?" Mello cried out. "What good will that do?"

Near twirled a lock of hair around his finger as he explained, "Criminals as smart as Kira like to get involved with the investigation to see how well they are avoiding suspicion and to direct suspicion to whoever they please."

L's dark eyes bored into your own as he awaited your opinion. 

You pursed your lips. "What if he says yes? He can't see me or Mello here or it will blow my cover."

"I'm aware," L answered before addressing the group as a whole. "In addition to what Near said, having Light on the case will also make it easier to watch him until he slips up."

He then looked over to the blond, whose lips were tightly pressed together as he looked down. A few moments passed before Mello grudgingly agreed.

Following the chocolate lover's submission, L continued. "If Light joins the Task Force, the four of you are not allowed to be present while he is here."

This time Matt spoke up. "Are you going to keep us in another room, then?"

"No, I have an apartment already set up for you if he agrees tomorrow." 

You frowned. "Should we start moving out, then?"

"No," he told you. "We'll only take that measure if he agrees. He would still have to get through his classes before coming here." He addressed the group as he explained, "Originally, I was only going to send Robin and Mello away, because Light has already met both of you," the head detective admitted. "I later decided that it would be best if all four of you were unknown to Light, because if he turns out to be Kira and somehow manages to kill myself and the rest of the Task Force, I trust the four of you to gather the evidence and bring him to justice."

The room was left in a heavy silence as L's statement reminded you just how perilous this case – and your mission – will become tomorrow. A light frown settled on your lips as you found your gaze pointed downward. Never did you expect your life choices to lead you to such a dangerous career. You almost wished that none of this ever happened. The only consolation you had was that you have made a positive difference in the lives of many people. But was it worth it?

After L dismissed the group to return to their tasks, he pulled you aside. 

You raised an eyebrow. "What is it?" 

He pulled a bony hand out of his pocket and opened his grip, revealing what appeared to be a small, transparent earplug. You raised a curious eyebrow as he pinched the sides of the device and held it out for you.

As you carefully took it from his grasp, L explained, "This is a listening device that was designed by Watari. I want you to use it tomorrow during the entrance ceremony and listen for when I reveal myself to Light. Then, I want you to observe his reaction. I plan to tell him as we return to our seats after making our speeches." 

"You'll be behind him, then. I'll pay special attention to his facial expressions."

*** * * April 5 * * ***

As you walked through the gates of To-Oh University, you found yourself in a beautiful open space between the buildings. You stopped in the middle of it all to take out your map of the campus, but that didn't stop the crowds. People easily weaved around you as if they were a river flowing over a small rock.

Nearly everyone was dressed formally, presumably for the big entrance ceremony greeting the new students. From what you could tell, even the upperclassmen were dressed for the occasion as they led small groups of freshmen on tours of the facilities. You had run out earlier that week to purchase appropriate attire and fit in nicely with the others. As you stuck your nose into your map, you searched around for the main gymnasium, which would hold the entrance ceremony not long from now. After a few moments of searching, you located the gym on the map. Apparently you were on the completely wrong side of the campus. You would have to head over there soon if you wanted a good seat. As you folded the map and returned it to your bag, you heard a familiar voice call out to you.

"Robin Stone, is that you?"

You looked up from your task to see Light Yagami approaching you with a smile. He was wearing a tan, Western-styled suit.

"It's good to see you again," he said as he reached you.

You smiled politely at him as you greeted, "You too." After a moment, you added, "You're our freshmen representative, right?"

His smile faltered for a beat before he told you, "I'm one of them. Someone else also got a perfect score." Light smirked at you as he added, "Though, I heard that it was almost a three-way tie with foreign student from Canada. That wouldn't happen to be you, would it?" 

A light blush settled on your face. "You've got me. Honestly, though, I was a little surprised when I saw my score. I was worried that I wouldn't do so well." 

"So, what's the major of the number-two student in the class?" He asked you.

"Psychology."

"Really?" He smiled warmly. "We might be in a few classes together, then. I'm a Criminal Justice major." As he reached into his breast pocket he asked, "Do you have your schedule with you right now?"

"Yes, it's right here," you told him as you reached into your bag and pulled out another folded sheet of paper.

Once the two of you unfolded your schedules, you compared them side by side.

"It's not surprising that we have Psychology together," Light noted. "We're even in the same Computer Science class." At the next similarity, a small chuckle escaped his lips. "I never would have expected to end up in the same elective as you, Robin. What made you take it?"

"Cooking is a beneficial life skill."

He smiled at you as he admitted, "Honestly, I wasn't looking forward to the class, but maybe it won't be so bad after all."The young man then checked his watch. "We should probably head to the ceremony if you want to get a good seat."

The two of you then silently traversed the campus to the main gym. You both showed your campus IDs to the volunteers before they allowed you inside. Once there, you saw hundreds of chairs lined up in front of a large stage. Not many seats were taken, but students were arriving in increasing numbers. You followed Light as he walked to the front row before taking a seat next to him.

You and Light made small talk as more students and faculty members poured into the room, filling the seats. Just when the front row was beginning to fill up, you caught L approaching you from the corner of your eye dressed in his casual clothes with a pair of shoes slipped on. You did your best to ignore him as he sat down on the other side of Light. 

Shortly after that, a tall, important-looking man made his way to the podium and cleared his throat. "I am Dr. Kenji Sato, president of To-Oh University. On behalf of the University, I would like to welcome the new students this year. May your next four years be as prosperous as my own years as a To-Oh student."

The crowd applauded for a few moments before President Sato continued his welcome speech. After listening to speeches from President Sato and the president of the Student Council, President Sato briefly took the podium again. "And now a few words from the freshmen representatives, Light Yagami and Hideki Ryuga."

You watched carefully as Light stood and strode to the podium, followed closely by L. Although you tried to pay attention to Light's movements, you found yourself eavesdropping on a conversation behind you. Three boys were comparing the two representatives while the brunet was reciting his speech. As Light finished up and L pulled a wrinkled sheet of paper out of his pocket, the conversation behind you changed to a subject that caught your full attention.

"I heard that a cute foreign girl was almost in a three-way tie with them," one said.

"Yeah, I saw her talking to Yagami earlier. I think it's that girl up there," the second boy hushed his voice even further.

A third teen butted in. "I saw her and Yagami together after the exams."

"Maybe they're dating?" the second man asked.

"I hope not," said the first. "She's really cute."

Blood rushed to your cheeks as you tensed in your seat.

"Hey, it'd be better that way," the third chimed in again."There'll be more ladies to go around for us if Yagami's taken." 

At the sound of applause, you quickly focused your attention onto the podium. You ignored the voice of the announcer as L followed Light off the stage, instead listening to the device concealed in your ear.

"Yagami," L began.

You watched as Light's eyebrows furrowed slightly in confusion when the other representative brought up the Kira case. Despite this, the brunet told L that he could trust him with critical information about the Kira case.

You remained still and focused on Light as the detective leaned into his ear and whispered, "I am L."

Light's eyes widened briefly – you would have missed it if you blinked. There was obvious shock behind the knee-jerk reaction, but an added hint of something else that you couldn't quite put your finger on. You also noticed that he hesitated to take a step in the moment after the reveal, his foot shaking in a subtle manner before he put it down.

Once the ceremony was over, the students poured out the doors and to the dining hall. Light remained tense as he stood, his mood clearly foul – if his narrowed eyes and tightened lips were anything to go by.

L had already left in the other direction when Light quickly addressed you. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Before you could say much more than a short goodbye, he had already vacated the gymnasium.

Since you had to wait at least half an hour after L left before being allowed to return to Headquarters, you wandered the campus and took a seat on a bench in front of a water fountain. As you sat there watching the water flow, you began to analyze the observations that you made earlier. _This completely took him off guard. He knows that he is behind on the game or – more likely – he's annoyed that someone may be pretending to be the famous detective he admires._

*** * * April 7 * * ***

L hadn't given you specific instructions for your mission, so you assumed free reign to pick the best methods possible. You recently decided to study psychology with Light weekly to help you determine if his personality was actually like Kira's.

Psychology had just ended, and you and Light were planning to go to a nearby café to study. He held the door for you as you carefully maneuvered your way out of the building. 

After thanking him, you told him, "I'm looking forward to the criminology unit."

"The project looks like it could be interesting depending on who you're assigned," he admitted.

_Perfect._ You raised an eyebrow and asked, "What do you mean? Is there a specific criminal you're hoping for?"

"Well-"

"There you are, Yagami," a calm voice interrupted.

The two of you halted and turned around to see L approaching the two of you, tennis racket in hand.

"Robin, let me introduce you to Hideki Ryuga," Light gestured to L as a hint of animosity twinkled in his eyes. "He's the student who tied with me." He then gestured to you. "Ryuga, this is Robin Stone. She's the student who almost tied with us."

L looked over to you with a slight frown present on his face."It's nice to meet you, Robin." 

You smiled. "Hello, Hideki. It's nice to meet you."

L turned his attention to your study partner. "What do you say to a friendly game of tennis?"

You raised an eyebrow as you looked over to Light. His eyebrows furrowed slightly, but this reaction was only momentary.

The student prodigy smiled at his challenger. "Alright, I'll play you." He then turned to face you. "Robin, would you like to watch the match? We can study after that."

You opened your mouth to respond, but L beat you to it, his tone one of annoyance. "Don't you have somewhere else you could be, _Miss Stone?"_

You tightened your lips into a thin line as you contemplated your response.

"Robin and I had plans to study before you challenged me," Light defended. "We can do that after the match, but she has the right to stay and watch."

Both geniuses looked to you awaiting your answer. 

"I..." You glanced to L. "I don't know... I don't want to impose-"

L grinned. "Good. We'll see you around campus, Robin."

Light narrowed his eyes slightly. "You don't have to be so pushy, Ryuga."

You held up your hands. "No, it's alright – really. I should be heading home anyway. I'll just see you in class."

With that, you turned and walked away, though a glance back showed you that Light was frowning. Still, L was the head of this investigation. If he felt that he needed to somehow test Light on his own, then you shouldn't impede on it. You made your way down the campus to where you parked your bike before making the trek back to the hotel.

After you arrived, a pulsing flash of red light caught your eye – an ambulance. You frowned at the sight, hoping that whatever happened wasn't too serious. After looking around to see no paramedics inside, you slowly walked into the lobby. As you weaved your way through the crowd, you looked up and saw the paramedics rushing out of the building. The crowd parted to make way for the men, pushing past you in the process. You couldn't see past the people in front of you, but you could hear the wheels of a stretcher as they ran the patient out to the ambulance.

You hesitated as you watched them go by. More than anything, you wished that you could help. A sigh escaped your lips as you watched the ambulance speed away.

The crowd had dispersed by the time you walked to the elevator. Once you were let off at the appropriate floor, you made your way to Headquarters. Strangely enough, you heard hushed whispers from the other side of the door. You unlocked the door and let yourself in before looking up to the group of investigators before you. Both Matsuda and Aizawa were paler than usual. Mello and Matt had tensed in their seats as they stared at you. Near was in the corner with his back to you as he twirled his hair in silence. You gulped at their reaction as you recalled the ambulance.

"What happened?" you asked after a moment of hesitation.

Matt and Mello exchanged glances. Aizawa tilted his head down, pinching the bridge of his nose as he heaved a sigh.

Matsuda looked up at you with a frown. "Well..."

"Chief Yagami had a heart attack," Near quickly finished. "He was still alive when the ambulance arrived, though."

You felt your heart sink into your stomach as you looked down and intertwined your fingers. _What if he's not okay now? What about his family? What if..._ "What if it was Kira?"

"We were wondering the same thing,"Mello told you.

You sighed as your frown deepened. "How did Kira even learn that Soichiro was a part of the investigation?"

"It's not in the police database," Matt spoke up.

Aizawa tensed up at his statement, though he refrained from commenting about his distaste of the hacking that L always had you and Matt doing.

"Then maybe he doesn't know," Mello suggested. "He's been ridiculously stressed out anyway."

You felt your body relax slightly at the idea, though a part of you was still worried at the possibility that Kira may have tried to kill Soichiro. Someone's hand on your shoulder made you jump, your heart racing as your eyes went wide.

Mello kept a comforting hand on your shoulder as he smiled at you. "Hey, don't worry about it. There's no way this was Kira. Even if it was, you'll be safe. You took all those precautions – we all did. No one knows your name but us."

You smiled softly at his words and nodded your head. Satisfied, the blond returned to his seat. Truthfully, you weren't worried about yourself. You glanced over to the Japanese detectives before moving to the bedroom to set down your things.

 

The sun had gone down long before L returned to headquarters, but all eyes were on the detective when he entered the room. 

As he looked around the room, he announced, "Soichiro is alive, but he will not be returning until he recovers. I have determined that it was just a stress-induced heart attack." He then focused his attention on you, Matt, and Mello. "Additionally, Light Yagami will be joining the Task Force once his father has healed. My conversation with him today has made me more suspicious of him than before."

As L began to walk toward a chair on the other side of the room, you called out, "Ryuzaki, can I talk to you for a second?"

He stopped and faced you. "Of course. What is it?"

You leaned back in your chair. "I know that you're not used to working with other people so closely, or really being out on the front lines, but you really need to tell me what your plans are. I'm putting my life at risk too, and it would be so much easier to coordinate like this. I know that I didn't tell you my plans either, so this was also my fault, but, please..."

After a moment of thinking, L said, "You have a point, Robin. We'll have to make time before each of us leaves to discuss the plans."

You smiled softly at him. "Thank you."

With that settled, the detective continued on his way.


	14. Challenges

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to let you guys know, there might not be an update next week. It's the end of the semester, so exams and presentations are piling up. Anyway, without further ado, I hope you enjoy the chapter :)

*** * * April 18 * * ***

The afternoon sun bathed the cooking classroom in a warm glow, reflecting off the marble counters and onto the walls. Students had just handed in their essays on kitchen safety and were now putting on their aprons and getting into their assigned groups. Your newly-assigned partners for the class were Light Yagami and a young man named Kai Nakamura.

You and Light walked to your kitchenette and watched as your third group member confidently strode across the room to you. His thick black hair was brushed to the side. You imagined that Near's hair would probably look like that if he parted his hair so far to the side of his head. Deep brown eyes looked back at you with confidence. You could almost swear that you recognized them from somewhere, though you knew that it was probably just from seeing this guy in class last week. His smirk was among the cockiest and most flirtatious that you have ever seen.

Kai's smile grew as he cooed, "Like what you see?" 

Your cheeks flushed red as you stammered an apology for looking too long.

The teen smiled without a care before looking to Light.

The brunet held the handout as he explained, "So today's assignment is to make a dish of macaroni and cheese, but we have to add something to make it flavorful. If we split up the responsibilities, it should be easy."

"Oh! Oh! I'll get the ingredients!" Kai decided as he snatched the paper from Light and ran to the class refrigerator.

You saw a hint of irritation in the brunet's eyes before he addressed you. "Robin, can you get the pots and the dish? I'll preheat the oven and start boiling the water." 

"Okay."

You rushed off and retrieved the pot for the macaroni before filling it with water. After bringing it to the stove and turning on the heat, you headed back and grabbed the saucepan and the glass dish.

Kai returned with a box of macaroni, several cups of various shredded cheeses, dry mustard, and some milk.

After putting the macaroni in the boiling water, Light asked, "What do you think we should add?"

Kai shrugged his shoulders, and both men looked to you for your suggestion. You pursed your lips as you went through your options, your mind turning back to your childhood days and the meals that Melinda's mother would serve you during the summer.

"Well, the classical option would be to add breadcrumbs to give the dish a crunchy texture throughout," you pointed out. "Adding a spice or some sort of meat would give it an extra flavor – and I think we would get extra points for that."

"We aren't allowed to cook meat yet," Light reminded you.

You winced. "Right. Sorry. Well, what do you guys want to do?"

You turned to Kai, who simply shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever you guys want."

The two of you turned to Light, who was silent for a few moments before announcing, "I'll get something. You two should get started on the sauce in the meantime."

With that decided for the team, Light walked off to grab the extra ingredients. 

Meanwhile, you poured your milk into your saucepan and had Kai stand by to add pinches of cheese while you mixed the simmering concoction. He leaned on his hand with a bored expression on his face as he waited every minute for your instructions.

After a while, he spoke up. "I think you guys are in the same psych and programming lectures as me. What are your majors?"

Light continued his preparations as he told the teen, "I'm a criminal justice major." 

You smiled as you chimed in, keeping your attention on what you were stirring. "I'm majoring in psychology. Can you put another pinch in?"

The overly enthusiastic man's grin extended as he followed your request. "Hey~, I'm a psych major too!" 

A few more minutes passed as you finished the roux and Light drained the pasta. You mixed the two together, along with your extra ingredient and put them into the glass dish. After covering the dish with foil, you carefully placed it in the pre-heated oven and set the timer for 45 minutes. The instructor then handed out a short quiz to pass the time. By the time you were finished, you only had 25 minutes to wait with your partners.

You and Light silently waited before Kai finished his quiz and joined the two of you. With all the quizzes handed in, the students began to chatter amongst themselves.

After a few moments, Kai pursed his lips and asked, "So, are you two dating?" 

You tensed. "N-no, we barely know each other!"

He raised an eyebrow as he asked, "Really? It kinda looks like you're a couple since you're always together."

Light smiled and assured him, "Robin and I are just friends. Even so, we haven't known each other long enough to start dating."

Kai shrugged his shoulders and dropped the subject. Shortly after that, the dish was ready. The instructor walked around the various groups and judged the final products by look, texture, taste, and how well-cooked it was. When he reached your group, he complimented you on your choice of extra ingredient. The three of you were given an A for the assignment and you were each given a plastic container to split the rest of the dish and take it home. 

 

The sun was making its slow dip below the horizon, and you were grouped around the coffee table with the rest of the Task Force and the Wammy teams. Ukita was sitting next to Matsuda on one of the couches. On the couch across from him sat you and Aizawa. Mello was leaning against the armrest to your side, and Near sat on the floor opposite of him. Matt and L had occupied the chairs that closed off the circle around the table on either side. Everyone was listening as Ukita gave his report.

"The only information we have on the whereabouts of Naomi Misora is from an employee at the hotel she was staying at. She was reported as 'leaving very late at night on December 27th.'" As he placed the file down, he looked to L. "Should we go public about this case? We can't get any fast results with only three people investigating."

L frowned. "Don't forget this is related to Kira. If we reveal her face, she'll be killed if she's not dead already."

A slight frown tugged at the corners of your lips as you contemplated the statement and what you knew about the ex-FBI agent. As the detectives continued their conversation, you recalled her role in sending Beyond Birthday to prison and the questionable timeline of the murderer's whereabouts between kidnapping you and showing up to kill L a few months ago.

You sighed before looking back up at L. "How can you be sure it was Kira and not... _him?"_

All eyes were on you now. Matsuda raised an eyebrow, unsure of who you meant. Ukita seemed more shocked at you defying L's word than anything. Your attention was too focused on L's silent staring to turn and see how the others reacted.

A few moments passed before you added, "The timing is right."

"That would go against his past MO," the head detective plainly explained. 

"Respectfully, I disagree."

"You can disagree, but you're still incorrect," he argued. "His motives were related to surpassing me."

Near's furrowed brows were subtle as he spoke up. "The same could have been said before he kidnapped Robin."

You tensed at his reminder, though you had no flashbacks this time. Matsuda audibly gasped, and all three of the Japanese detectives immediately turned to face you. The look in Aizawa's eyes was one of true concern and horror, perhaps due to the fact that he was a father.

Across from you, Ukita sat with wide eyes and his mouth agape. His quick glances to your scarred hands and cheek followed by slightly clenching his teeth told you that he felt foolish for not thinking of such a possibility sooner.

Matsuda had a softened look in his eyes as he drew his eyebrows together and looked from your cheek, down your arms, and to your ankle. With his ever-twisting expression, you could tell that he was likely imagining the horror that you had gone through with the murderer who had come to attack L a few months prior. You turned away as you closed your eyes and inhaled deeply, calming your nerves as you reminded yourself that you were safe.

You felt a hand softly hold onto your shoulder and looked up to find that it belonged to Mello.

The blond glared at his rival as he snarled, "Shut the Hell up about that!" 

You winced before quietly apologizing to Near and turning to Mello as you assured him, "I'm fine. Really."

He frowned.

"Robin's situation was different," L began, drawing the group's attention to him once more. "Beyond was using her to get to me. He wouldn't have touched her otherwise."

You knitted your eyebrows together as you looked down, though you caught a glimpse of Matsuda's horrified expression directed at you. A few moments passed before a voice to your left caught the attention of the group.

"He could have done the same to Misora," Matt chimed in. "In Beyond's mind, she was the only reason he didn't beat you the first time," he added as he looked across the table at L.

"That is a possibility," he admitted, "but it's far more likely that her disappearance is connected to Kira."

You sighed. "I'm sorry, Ryuzaki, but I thing you're wrong this time." Averting your gaze from his narrowed eyes, you added, "Even if you're not, I don't think it matters at this point anyway."

Frustration was clear in his tone of voice as he snapped back, "And what do you want to do? Do you want us to broadcast her image for Kira to see? He'll recognize her as Penber's fiancé and kill her the moment it's aired."

The detectives turned their eyes to you, waiting as you formed the right words. A few moments passed before you opened your mouth, but the blond behind you spoke first.

"If she was attacked or kidnapped by Beyond, there's no way she's alive. Even if he didn't kill her, she would have died from being chained up this long without food or water," Mello pointed out. "And if it was Kira, he would have killed her already. We might as well just put her photo up so that we can give her family some damn closure."

The room fell silent as everyone considered Mello's words. Only a few moments had passed before the door slammed shut, drawing everyone's attention to it.

"Ryuzaki," Watari said as he rushed toward your group.

"What is it?"

"It's Sakura TV." He grabbed the remote from the coffee table and turned on the television. "Something big has happened."

Matt picked up his chair and moved it out of the way as the news anchor spoke. "In other words we are practically reporting this news as the hostages of Kira himself. This is not a prank. The videos are not a hoax."

"Kira's hostages?" Aizawa cried out.

"What the heck is this?" Matsuda asked.

L moved his seat closer to the television so that he was slightly in front of you. 

_Hostages? But that's so unlike Kira._ You frowned. _Or maybe there's more that we haven't uncovered._

The anchorman had a calm expression on his face, though he was clearly shaking as he explained that Kira had sent the studio director four video tapes. In the first tape, Kira correctly predicted the deaths of two criminals. He went on to explain that Kira had instructed them to play the second tape at 5:59 pm. By the time the anchorman had passed the tape to a woman to play it, the Japanese detectives had all risen out of their seats. The only people who remained sitting were you, L, Near, and Matt.

At 5:59 exactly, the video began playing. You watched intently as the image of the news room was replaced by the word 'Kira' crudely written in the same font that L uses.

A machine-muffled voice rang out to say, "I am Kira."

You glanced to L as the voice continued, reminded of when you first met the detective.

As you returned your attention to the screen, the voice said, "Please change the channel to Taiyou TV. The news anchor will die of a heart attack at exactly 6:00 pm."

_"What?!"_ Mello roared.

L was calm as he instructed, "Change the channel."

All eyes were glued to the screen as Watari did just that. Sure enough, one of the news anchors clutched his chest in agony before collapsing onto the desk, to the shock and horror of his co-anchors. You felt a wave of panic flood your senses. It really was Kira...

You heard a gasp from behind you before L commanded, "Now change it back. Please move one – no, two more televisions to this room."

"Yes, sir," Watari said before handing the remote to Matt and rushing out of the room.

Kira's mechanical voice continued, "That was the punishment for always speaking in cynical terms against me on television. Surely one person is not enough to prove my identity, so I will take another sacrifice. This target is another commentator on the same network who always opposes my actions."

"Channel 24!"

Matt flipped to the channel only for one of the anchors to die in his chair.

A few moments passed before L told the group, "Kira is directly manipulating the mind of the public."

"We need to stop that broadcast," Mello added.

Matsuda ran to the phone to call the station directly as Aizawa took out his cell phone to try to contact his friend who works at Sakura TV.

"I do not mean to kill innocent people," Kira's voice said. "I abhor evil and defend justice. The police do not have to be my enemies. They can be my allies."

Aizawa informed the group, "My friend's phone is off."

L put his thumb to his lip as he addressed you. "Robin, would Peekaboo be capable of stopping the broadcast?"

Your eyes widened as your mind raced through your old program. "The chances that I have access are very slim."

"Try it anyway."

You leaped from your seat and ran to the bedroom to retrieve your laptop.

Matt chased after you and asked, "Don't you need a preexisting link to the station for that?"

"Yes, that's-"

"No one's answering," Matsuda called out.

You grabbed your laptop as you explained, "That's the problem. I sent out a virus a while ago to give me access to news outlets around the world. I haven't checked it in a long time, so I don't even know if Sakura TV is in the database."

You both emerged from the bedroom only to watch Ukita run out the door. You and Matt returned to their chairs and you began your search through the database to identify all news sources in Japan. The database was labeled by nation, general region, and IP Address, though there was no hint to which one belonged to which station. When you narrowed the list down to those, you began the automated test to reach across to your virus on the other side, which would give you the output of the name of the station.

"As long as no one tries to oppose me, no one else will die," Kira claimed.

"What the Hell is taking so long?" Mello growled.

You furrowed your eyebrows as you explained, "It's an old database, so it's going to take a bit longer to see if I can access Sakura TV. I don't even know if it will work, okay?"

As the Task Force listened to Kira's message and waited for a positive ID from the database, Watari returned with two televisions. Matsuda and Aizawa moved to help the veteran set them up.

Not another minute passed before Mello growled, "I'm not sitting around to let this end on Kira's terms!"

You turned around just in time to see the blond grab his keys off the table and run out the door. Tightening your lips into a thin line, you took a deep breath and closed your eyes. Making your split-second decision to try to stop this slaughter fastest, you handed your laptop to Matt and chased after Mello, slamming the door behind you as you ignored L's pleas for you to stop. Out of the corner of your eye you saw the door to the stairs swinging shut. You sprinted to the door and yanked it open. Echoes of Mello's footsteps rang through the stairwell as he descended.

You barreled down the stairs, straining your muscles to catch up to the blond. Flight after flight, you found yourself barely able to stay upright with the speed you were going at. It was pure luck that you hadn't slammed into one of the walls during your descent. Slowly, but surely you began to catch up to him.

Just when you were only a flight behind Mello, you could hear him speeding up. You pressed yourself as hard as you could to match his speed, but you were still out of shape from your months on crutches. There were only a few more flights before you would be at the parking garage, and you had to stop him before he left without you – who knows what could happen with him this emotional over the situation. With a glance to the railing and Mello's distance from you, an idea came to mind. It wasn't exactly the most intelligent plan in the world – especially with your prior injuries– but it was all you had.

Time seemed to slow as you clenched your teeth and steered yourself toward the edge of the stairwell, watching as Mello rounded the corner. With a strong kick, you vaulted yourself over the railing and straight toward the blond. He glanced up and his eyes widened as you reached out to him. With your hands almost at his shoulders, you turned your head and closed your eyes as you braced yourself. Your natural sense of time returned as your face slammed into his chest. Mello grunted as the force sent you both flying into the wall before your foot slipped and the two of you came tumbling down the flight, each step beating down on your bodies until you hit the floor with a resonating thud.

_That's going to hurt in the morning._

There was an odd vibration from under you as a groan resonated from Mello's chest. You opened your eyes only to find yourself laying on top of him, your legs tangled together on the stairs behind you. As you tried to push yourself up, you could barely rise up– your arm was trapped under him. 

He cringed as he opened his eyes and glared up at you. Before you could do anything, he slipped his hands under your waist and pushed you off. You landed beside him and pulled your arm out from under his body as he sat up and turned to face you.

"What the Hell is your problem?" he grumbled.

You furrowed your eyebrows as you pushed yourself up. "I'm not letting you do this alone. I want to help."

He frowned. "I thought you hated field work."

You tightened your lips into a thin line. "If it's the only way to stop Kira from killing all those innocent people, I'll do it."

He grinned and nodded. "Alright. Let's go."

Mello grabbed your hand and pulled you up before racing into the parking garage and to his motorcycle. The blond tossed you the open face spare helmet before putting on his full face one. He swung his leg over the motorcycle and started the engine as you jumped on and wrapped your arms around his waist.

He turned his head as he told you, "Hold on tight."

You nodded and he sped off into the night. Mello accelerated onto the street and you squinted as the wind whipped against your bare skin. You tucked your face against his back to shield yourself and gripped him more tightly as he weaved in and out of traffic, likely going well above the legal speed limit. Several minutes passed as you raced to the TV station, and it was only when he started to slow down when you looked up.

A block in front of you was the Sakura TV station, though there was a new detail that hadn't been there when you left. There were three bodies lying in front of the entrance near a running patrol car, one of them strikingly familiar. Your eyes widened as you began to process the scene, but the roar of another motor cut off your train of thought. You peaked behind you only to find a large black van speeding down the street with you in its path.

_"Mello!"_

He glanced over his shoulder and commanded, "Hang on!"

You barely had time to heed his words before he made a sharp turn into an alley, just barely avoiding the speeding van, but there was a wall cutting off your path. The brakes squealed and your scream pierced the night as Mello turned the motorcycle, making a dramatic stop just before the wall. Your heart was pounding through your chest as you sat there and stared at his back as you remembered to breathe again. A few moments passed before you heard another set of brakes cry out, followed quickly by the loud crash of shattering glass.

Without pausing to think, you jumped off the motorcycle and ran down the alley back to the street you came from. Once you reached the end, you gaped at the sight. The truck that nearly hit you had just crashed into the entrance to Sakura TV. Before you could do anything, you were roughly pulled out of the light and turned around. You managed to catch a glimpse of Mello with his helmet on before he held you tightly against his chest, blocking your view of anything but his leather jacket. You tried to pull away so you could look, but he put a hand on your head, preventing you from getting anywhere.

His tone was stern as he explained, "One of those dead guys is Ukita."

Chills went down your spine as his voice reverberated through your body.

"I don't know how it happened, but it looks like Kira can kill with only a face now," he told you.

Your eyes went wide upon the realization that Kira had to be nearby to kill Ukita and those other people. Not only that, but Mello was protecting your exposed face from being seen.

"Walk with me," Mello instructed. "We're going back to my motorcycle."

He stepped back slowly, careful not to kick you in the process. You matched his pace, making sure not to step on his feet as you walked away from Kira's potential view. Once the world in your peripheral vision grew dark, Mello released you from his grasp and backed away. Before you had the time to say anything, your phone began to ring. You fished it out of your pocket to see that it was a restricted number calling –probably L.

Holding it to your ear, you answered, "H-Hello?"

"Robin, are you with Mello?" L asked.

You glanced to the blond, who had just taken off his helmet and was staring back at you. "Y-Yeah, he's here... What's going on?"

There was a short pause before he answered, disappointment and perhaps sorrow painting his tone. "Kira can now kill with just a face. The person who crashed into Sakura TV was Chief Yagami. He's retrieving the tapes and we're sending officers to protect him from Kira's view as he exits."

"Oh..." You heard the sounds of police sirens approaching. "Okay."

"I want you and Mello to stay hidden until the police are gone," he stressed again. "Kira will likely have left the area by then." He then hung up.

You relayed the information and L's instructions to Mello, who agreed to wait until the police had left to do anything. He took off his helmet and rested it on his motorcycle before the two of you waited for more officers to arrive.

As Soichiro's cover started to leave, Mello finally broke the silence. "I'm going to search these buildings once they're gone."

"I'll come with you," you offered.

"No," he snapped. "I want you to stay here and wait for me." 

You recoiled at his tone before furrowing your eyebrows. "I can help too. We'll cover more ground with two people."

"I said no," he growled before turning to walk away.

You clenched your fists as you tightened your lips into a thin line. A few moments passed before you chased after him and grabbed his arm. Mello's shoulders drooped slightly as he stopped, his head dipping somewhat as he kept his face turned away from you.

"I may not have had as much experience as you, but that doesn't mean I'm incapable!" you argued as you tried to keep your tears from falling. "I'm every bit a part of this investigation as you are, and I'm not just going to sit back when we're this close to catching him. Why wouldn't I go with you?"

He was silent for a few moments before mumbling, "Because."

"'Because' _what?"_ you snapped. "Is it because I'm not from Wammy's?"

He yanked his arm from your grip and took a step forward. "No."

"Then _why?!"_ Tears trickled down your cheeks as your voice shook. "Unless you can give me a real reason, I'm searching these hotels whether you like it or not!"

You froze as you watched him tense, his fists clenched.

Your shoulders drooped as you warily reached out to him and whispered, "Mello?"

"You wanna know why?" He turned around, a scowl on his features as he took a step closer. "My mistakes nearly got you killed last time and I'm sure as Hell not gonna let it happen again!"

You furrowed your brows. "Last time...?"

His lips tugged into a soft frown as he looked away from your eyes, his own showing a pain – a guilt – that you had never realized before as he turned back, his gaze gently tracing the scar on your cheek.

"I didn't think Kira would be this close," he admitted. "It's more dangerous this time and I'm not going to let you die."

You wrung your hands. "Mello, I... I'm sorry. I didn't realize..."

There was a short silence as you trailed off, for once unsure of what to say. It wasn't that he thought any less of you – in fact, he was being more considerate than anyone had been to you in a long time. He was right: Kira as he had showed today felt no qualms in taking innocent lives to make a statement, though you couldn't help the nagging feeling – or perhaps it was a silly hope – that the Kira you saw today was not the Kira who you knew to protect innocent people.

Mello's voice drew you out of your thoughts. "Will you listen now?"

You pursed your lips as you nodded and sniffled, now aware of the close proximity between the two of you. "Just... promise me that you'll be careful too."

He reached up and wiped a forgotten tear from your cheek, his hand lingering as he grinned and assured you, "I will."

In those moments, time became lost on you. Mello's surprisingly gentle touch on your cheek. You could feel the heat from his breath on your lips as you looked into his blue eyes. His gaze had such an unfamiliar, yet warm undertone, and you felt your heart skip a beat as he held it. If someone were to ask, you could never tell them why – perhaps the adrenaline or perhaps something more – but you closed your eyes and leaned in.

Soft lips met your own. Your heart fluttered at the contact, and you shared the kiss for a few moments before pulling apart. A deep red blush rose to your cheeks as you looked back up at Mello. He was grinning from ear to ear, though it seemed that his cheeks were dusted a light pink.

As he pulled away and put on his helmet, he reminded you, "Stay safe. If I find out where Kira was and that he's gone, I'll call you, okay?"

You opened your mouth to speak, but couldn't will any words out and nodded instead.

As he walked off toward the street you whispered, "Good luck."


	15. Latent Feelings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unless I add more chapters or split up my current plans, then this chapter marks the halfway point of the story. In other news, I have the next three weeks of chapters complete. The few chapters after that will contain the new mini-case, so it may take a bit longer to get done (but, I have another month before it's due to be published.) For the rest of the story, I'm going to try to get as much done as possible. Once I write the final chapter, I'll start updating twice a week unless the chapter happens to be very long. Anyway, I hope that you enjoy the chapter!

*** * * April 19 * * ***

It was well past midnight by the time you and Mello returned to headquarters, and so much had occurred in the time frame you were gone. While L had relayed Soichiro's involvement over the phone, he left out the fact that Matt was able to use your program to shut down Kira's – rather, the second Kira's – broadcast, bringing Robin Hood into the public eye once more. The bodies of Ukita and the other officers had been taken away by the time Mello called for your assistance at the hotel he believed the second Kira to have been hiding at.

You shifted nervously as you glanced to the blond beside you. Even after reuniting with him and conducting your interrogations of the staff, nothing had been said about what happened in the alley. You shook your head to pull your thoughts back to your current task before putting your attention on the surveillance videos again. The youngest members of the Task Force had been watching the tapes for a while now, paying particular attention to the empty room where a pair of binoculars had been found. The area was relatively inactive until 6:23 pm, shortly after Kira's video was cut short. You watched as a figure emerged from the room and rushed to an exit.

"She's definitely a girl," you noted as you watched the image of a petite figure in a trench coat with her face covered by a hood.

L spoke up. "Was anyone able to provide a description of her?"

"The receptionist told me that she was pale, had black hair, a haircut like mine, a high-pitched voice, and she was wearing glasses," Mello told the group.

You frowned. "The maid who found the binoculars said that she had long blonde hair, and she didn't mention anything about glasses."

"She's probably really a blonde," Near chimed in. "Was she supposed to enter the room at that time?"

"The maid claims that she walked in and the girl panicked and made her leave," you explained.

"Did you guys get a name?" Matt asked with eyebrows raised.

"It's probably fake, but she claimed to be Yoko Suzuki," Mello told the group. "She paid in cash, so there's no credit card to say otherwise."

You were silent for a moment before adding, "The fingerprints in the room and on the binoculars should help us find out who she really is, along with the evidence on the tapes."

L smiled. "Things seem to be looking up for us." With that he rose and reminded the four of you, "With Chief Yagami in good health again, Light will be joining on the investigation in the coming days. You will be moving out tonight. Watari."

The elderly man approached the group as L walked off. "I wanted the four of you to be close enough to To-Oh for Robin to commute, but on such short notice, I was only able to find a two-bedroom, one-bathroom house for rental, so you will have to share your rooms."

Matt scratched his head, ruffling his bright red hair. "That'll be easy – we can just split up like the teams."

You pursed your lips as you glanced to Near.

"Is that alright with everyone?"

All eyes were on you. Since when were you so obviously lacking in a neutral expression? Oh right, Mello did mention something about you being a terrible liar when exhausted...

You hesitated for a moment before answering, "Yes."

Mello folded his arms. "Alright. Out with it."

You tensed slightly. "It's nothing. Honestly. It's not a big deal."

This time your partner chimed in, "Robin's discomfort may be due to the fact that she and I have never shared a room before."

Matt raised an eyebrow. "Really? I mean... I guess you haven't here, but haven't you guys had other investigations?"

You glanced away. "Well, we always worked from our headquarters, and we had separate rooms there."

There was a short silence before Mello leaned back and offered, "Why don't we just switch it up, then? I'll share with you and Matt can share with Near. We had to share a room in the early days of the Kira investigation anyway, so it's not that awkward."

"I..." You glanced between his lips and his eyes. "That... That makes sense. Okay."

With that decided, you immediately dispersed to gather your belongings for the quick move. 

 

Hours had passed until you had reached the point where you had been awake for well over twenty-four hours. It was late-morning and you were moving the last of the boxes into the house from Matt's car. The building itself was a quaint one-story building on the outskirts of the city. There was a small yard surrounding the premises filled with lush blades of grass and outlined by a short fence. With no garage and a small driveway, Mello had to park his motorcycle on the street – dwarfing your bike as it leaned on the fence next to the vehicle.

You heaved your final box out of the car before lethargically making your way toward the threshold of the house. Your arms felt like pudding as you attempted to carry the lead-like container – though, you knew that it just held a few books. Perhaps it was foolish of you to continue on so exhausted, but even the concerned comments of Matt and Mello weren't enough to make you abandon the work to them. Your breathing was slow and labored as you struggled to keep your eyes opened and your body moving.

As you walked past Mello in the living room, he backpedaled and put his hands around the box. "Here. I've got it."

You couldn't help your relieved sigh as he took it. "Thank you."

He shifted the box under one arm before walking beside you to your shared room. You found yourself staring at him, searching his face for even a hint of romantic intent, but he didn't look any different from his usual interactions with you. It took a great deal more restraint than you expected to keep your exasperated groan withheld. Just what the heck was going on between the two of you? It wasn't like you had noticed any romantic feelings toward him, so why did you kiss him like that? And if he never expressed anything back, then why didn't he push you away? Why didn't he avoid it?

"What?"

You froze for a moment and he did too. "Why aren't you going ahead? Your pace is usually faster than mine."

He laughed. "Someone's gotta catch you when you pass out. You need sleep."

The corners of your lips lazily twitched upward as you halfheartedly laughed. "Yeah..."

Mello placed a hand on the small of your back and nudged you forward. "C'mon."

You furrowed your brows as you watched where you were walking. Maybe it was all just a fluke – an effect of the high stress – that had led to it. Surely you would have recognized your own feelings prior to that, right? Besides, Mello was notoriously impulsive. If he wasn't saying anything about it, then the kiss probably didn't mean anything to him – and you certainly weren't going to risk asking him about it and making things awkward when you would be sharing a room for who knows how long. Of course, in your contemplation, you didn't notice the way he was looking at you – a genuine smile on his face in place of his casual smirk.

*** * * April 22 * * ***

It was a warm Saturday afternoon, but the Japanese members of the Task Force were working the day away inside their newest hotel headquarters. It was Light's first day on the team and he had been assigned to write a fake Kira response to the second Kira. L wanted the script completed as soon as possible so that they could air the message on the evening news. The brunet had to be careful to keep the right information hidden while still remaining in-character as far as L was concerned. Light spent a few minutes to go over his draft before handing his work to the head detective.

"How does this look?" he asked as L read through his draft. "I think I wrote it just as Kira would."

A few moments passed before he finished reading. "It's written amazingly well, but I will be making a few edits before sending it out to the recording team."

Light laughed and put his arms behind his head. "I wasn't serious about the part that offers you to the second Kira. Feel free to edit that out."

L nodded. "I planned on it. Though, I have one question, Light."

He raised an eyebrow and returned his arms to his lap. "What is it?"

"How do you know so much about the Robin Hood Hacker?" he asked the teen with a curious smile.

"That's it?" Light laughed. "I followed the story when I was in high school."

"Why were you interested in the case?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" the brunet retaliated. "He dealt a major blow to one of Japan's most corrupt companies. I'm pretty sure that anyone who paid even the slightest bit of attention to the news knows about him."

L put his thumb to his lip as he mused, "I suppose you're right."

With that, he walked away with the script before handing it to Aizawa to deliver it to the special recording team.

 

Later that night, the Task Force gathered around the televisions to watch Light's fake Kira message play out. Light and L sat closest to the screens while the other detectives surrounded them. They waited a few moments as the news anchor explained that there was a new message – approved for airing by the police – from someone who claims to be the real Kira. Light watched carefully as the image switched to the video that was prepared by a special team outside the Task Force.

Black calligraphy letters spelling out 'Kira' were centered on an off-white background that was covered in sparkles. Light noted that the calligraphy 'R' looked to be almost the same font as the one used by the Robin Hood Hacker. He must be working for L. A mechanical voice different from those he has heard thus far played out from the audio.

"I am Kira."

_It doesn't seem to be made by the same voice recorder,_ Light realized. _Ryuzaki said that the messages were being recorded by a team. Maybe he has other hackers at his disposal._

"I am the true Kira, and the person who created the video which aired on Sakura TV four days ago was not Kira," the digital voice claimed. "I currently believe that the individual who claimed to be me is my supporter and is speaking on my behalf. I am appreciative. However, the taking of innocent lives is against my will. If the person who claimed to be me agrees with me and wishes to be supportive, he or she should refrain from taking any foolish actions and should first work to understand my purpose. If he or she does not heed my warning and continues to act in this manner, then I will be forced to pass judgement on him or her."

On the other side of the city, the Wammy Teams were gathered around the television, watching their video unfold.

"And to the Robin Hood Hacker, I trust that you now understand that my intentions are still as pure as when I first started."

Mello scoffed and grumbled, "Yeah, about as pure as dirt."

"I plan to cleanse the world of evil, leaving only good people behind. As good as the justice system is, it does not catch all the evil people – something you surely understand. I urge you to reconsider your stance and align yourself with me."

The message ended, returning to the news anchors, who began to discuss what had just been broadcast. On both ends of the city, the Task Force investigators began to move from their televisions. While Light smiled and was congratulated on his convincing script, you couldn't help but frown.

*** * * April 25 * * ***

It was mid-morning the week after the second Kira's message was broadcast to all of Japan. You were sitting in class next to Light as you took notes on profiling criminals, though you were watching the Kira suspect out of the corner of your eye. He passed L's test to join the Task Force, but the great detective shared with you that he was still suspicious of the teen. You were paying special attention to any changes in Light's behavior. If the second Kira responded as L expected, you planned to compare the brunet's behavior before and after it airs. Truth be told, you still felt that this was all a waste of time. Nearly every moment L claimed to be suspicious of Light was easily explained by other normal means that the great detective seemed to take pleasure in overlooking – his assumption of Kira's involvement in Misora's death a prime example.

Ten minutes before the class was officially over, the professor stopped his lecture and walked over to his folder. He took out a large stack of papers and divided it into smaller piles before handing them down the rows for the students.

"Today, you'll be starting the criminology project," he told the class. "Just as a reminder, this assignment will replace the midterm exam." 

The hushed roar of chatter filled the classroom as students tried to find a friend to work with.You nervously glanced to Light, hoping to be paired with him. While you could easily say that it was for the sake of investigating – and that was partially true – you really just didn't want to get stuck doing all the work while you had so much other work.

The professor cleared his throat and announced, "I have already chosen your partners, so there is no need to discuss it."

A collective groan rang out from the class before they quieted down, allowing him to continue.

"I will reveal the groups and your subjects after going over what I expect," he told the class. "I have been watching you carefully since day one to decide who to pair together. If anyone can explain my reasons for each pair, I'll give you extra credit."

The professor surveyed the room, making sure that everyone had an information sheet before beginning again.

"You will have just over two weeks to complete and hand in the project. Every student needs to hand in a paper they write individually alongside the presentation you will be doing together," the professor explained. "Your paper should focus on profiling your criminal, but you need to include the details that you put in the presentation. I'll be looking for the following main points in your presentation."

He held up the assignment sheet and adjusted his reading glasses. "You need to explain the crimes in enough detail that the class can get a rough idea of them. If there are any unusual characteristics about the crimes – and there will be for a majority of you – point them out. Include any known background on your criminal and a picture of him or her. Make sure to tell us what happened to your criminal. Were they caught? What sentence were they given? Et cetera.

"If you can't find anything on your criminal's background – and some of you won't – then you are to give the suspected background of your criminal. Now for the harder part." He looked back up to the class. "You are to use what you have learned in this class to profile the criminal. Tell us why you think he or she committed the crimes they did, and what led to the unusual aspects of his or her case.

"Finally, you will connect the criminal to a modern topic. Tell us why I included him or her in the assignment." The professor put the sheet down. "Everything is due on May 11th, a little over two weeks from now. Presentations will begin that day and the order will be chosen at random."

He reached into his folder and pulled out another sheet of paper. "Takada and Miyano, your assignment is Kira."

You looked to your left as the professor rattled off names and saw Kiyomi tense for a moment. Behind her, you could see a small pout on Kai's face.

"Nakamura and Uchida, the Robin Hood Hacker."

You couldn't help the corner of your lips from twitching down at the sound of your old hacker alias.

Kai's attention was drawn to the professor as he raised an eyebrow and asked, "Who's that?"

The professor halted for a moment to tell him, "That's the point of research, Nakamura."

The pout returned to the teen's lips as he folded his arms and looked down at his desk, leaving the professor to continue. A few more minutes passed before you heard your current alias.

"Stone and Yagami, Beyond Birthday." 

The world stopped around you, your breath caught in your throat at the sound of your kidnapper's name. Try as you may, you were unable to quell your shaking hands. You squeezed your eyes shut as you repeatedly reminded yourself that everything was okay – that he couldn't hurt you anymore. Light's eyes widened momentarily before returning to a neutral expression, though you didn't notice his reaction. A few moments passed as the professor finished handing out the pairs and assignments.

After he dismissed class, Light turned to you and asked, "Do you want to start researching before class later?"

You shook yourself out of your stupor before telling him, "I-I would rather do some research on my own first. I'm sorry, please don't-"

"I understand."

You froze for a moment, staring at him with a bewildered expression as you processed his words and his genuinely apologetic smile.

"Robin?"

You raised an eyebrow.

He smiled and laughed lightly, though it felt almost forced. "Looks like I lost you for a bit, there. As I was saying, would you like to go to lunch before class?" 

"I- no, I... I can't." You frowned as you glanced away. "I'm sorry."

A small, pained smile rose to Light's lips as he put a hand on your shoulder. "Don't worry about it. I'll just see you later."

As you watched him turn and walk away, you bit your lip in a failing attempt to keep your panic attack down.

 

A sigh escaped your lips as you stepped into the house. Your gaze remained pointed downward as you lethargically made your way to your room. Once there, you dropped your bag to the ground and sunk onto your bed.

_"Oh, but you're a SPECIAL ONE aren't you?"_ Beyond's voice echoed in your mind. _"I've stolen away little miss Robin Hood from her band of merry men."_

You squeezed your eyes shut as your hands shot to the sides of your head. _It's not real._

Beyond roughly grabbed your jaw and your eyes shot open as he yanked your head to face him, forcing you to look him in the eye.

_It's not real._

A cold sweat dripped down your neck as the murderer brought his blade to your face, caressing your cheek with the flat edge.

_It's not-_

Someone shouted your name, bringing you back to the present. You gasped as your eyes shot open, revealing Mello sitting next to you with his hand on your shoulder.

"You're safe."

Tears accumulated in the corners of your eyes as you lowered your arms. "S-Sorry."

"Don't apologize," he told you for what seemed to be the millionth time. "It's not your fault."

You nodded your head and tightened your lips into a thin line before looking down at the table. Mello shifted his hand to your back and there was a silence between the two of you for a few minutes.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

You sighed. "I was partnered with Light for the criminology project, but we were assigned..." You sucked in a breath. "W-We were assigned-"

The blond frowned, his brows sinking toward his eyes. "Beyond Birthday."

You nodded.

"Why don't you just ask the professor for a different assignment?" he suggested.

"I don't want to draw any more attention to myself," you admitted. "I don't think we're allowed to, anyway." After a moment, you asked him, "Could you... would you help me figure out what is and isn't classified about the case?"

He was surprisingly silent for a moment before nodding. "I'll start from the beginning, but just stop me if it's too much, alright?"

"Okay."

"Basically everything about his first case is open to the public, including that Misora was working for L when she caught him. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole," he told you. "Thanks to one of those SWAT agents we brought in, the public knows that he escaped prison last summer and that he was suspected of the murders in Los Angeles." He hesitated before draping his hand over yours and adding, "They know what happened to you, but they only know that you're a girl in your late teens."

You inhaled deeply and took solace in the contact.

"The media got word that he disappeared for a month and tried to attack an officer in Japan," he continued. "They were told that he died in the hospital after being shot by the officer in self-defense."

You were silent for a moment before asking, "Do they know that he's from Wammy's?"

"No, he burned his records before running away," Mello told you.

You nodded to yourself before smiling softly at the blond. "Thank you for all your help."

"You're welcome."

 

Even when the sun had finally set on that stressful day, your mind was still abuzz. With the bathroom free, you were taking the time to soak in the waters of the shower in an attempt to calm yourself. You closed your eyes and listened to your senses as you tried to empty your mind and relax your body, but no matter how much you tried, you just couldn't do it. There was so much that had happened between Ukita's death, your kiss with Mello, and your project with Light. On top of all that which flooded your mind was that odd aching feeling from within that had been nagging at you recently. It most certainly wasn't your period. Not only did you just have it recently, but the feeling was so _different_ – not the blood flow that you were accustomed to, but a pulsating _desire._

Your eyes widened as your cheeks flushed a bright red. Now was _not_ the time for that.

You pursed your lips as you thought for a few moments before deciding that maybe... maybe it _was._ After all, fulfilling that want was known – scientifically proven, if you recalled – to have the same relaxing effects that you were so desperately trying to achieve.

Taking a shaky deep breath, you placed a hand against the wall of the shower to steady yourself as you reached down with your other hand. You hesitated for a few moments before taking the plunge, starting slow and working your way up as your nerves began to dissipate. Your breaths grew shorter and more frequent as you felt yourself getting so close to that final burst of euphoria.

A loud series of raps at the door echoed through the room before Mello's voice called out, "Hurry up! You're using the only bathroom."

You gasped as you pulled out and pressed your legs together.

Blood rushed to your cheeks as your body trembled in a desperation to finish, but you were frozen in place as you breathlessly called out, "S-Sorry."


	16. Treading on Eggshells

*** * * April 27 * * ***

It was a warm spring afternoon, and the sun shined brightly on the inhabitants of Tokyo. A few blocks from To-Oh University was a small café nestled between two shops. The aroma of coffee and freshly baked treats filled the area, enticing anyone who walked by to come and take a look. Despite the hour, the café only had a handful of customers at the tables. A waitress retrieved her most recent order from the chef and approached a table in a small alcove at the front of the café where a young man and woman were sitting.

She placed the plates in front of her two customers before asking, "Can I get you anything else?"

The brunet smiled and shook his head. "No, thank you."

She nodded and turned to walk away.

As you returned your attention to your food, Light spoke up. "Thanks for making the time to meet on a weekday. I'm too busy on the weekends." 

You smiled graciously at him before waving your hand in a dismissive fashion. "Don't worry about it."

Light pushed his plate off to the side to make room for his laptop and the rubric.

"We should split the work for the presentation in half," he suggested. "If you don't mind, I was hoping to do the parts involving the crimes he committed, Birthday's background, and unusual aspects of his crimes."

He looked up at you expectantly. That would leave you with profiling Beyond Birthday, connecting the case to a modern topic, and discussing his fate. You nodded slowly as you mentally prepared yourself. You could only hope that none of your work would bring about another flashback episode.

Light furrowed his eyebrows slightly as he studied your face. "Are you alright, Robin?"

You suppressed the urge to bit your lip, cursing how easily he could read you after such a short time together. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just get a little uneasy when it comes to this kind of thing."

He hesitated before nodding, and the two of you took out your laptops to begin working. Since you already had the collection of information published on Beyond Birthday, you simply kept that hidden and pretended to search. A few minutes passed before Light broke the silence.

His tone was that of interest as he explained, "A quick look at his Wikipedia page tells us that Detective L actually worked on the original case a few years ago. A detective called Deneuve worked on the second case after Birthday's escape from prison last year." A few moments passed before he added, "Is 'Beyond Birthday' a normal name to you? From my point of view it's fairly strange, but that may just be cultural." 

"It's not particularly normal," you explained.

Light nodded to himself before continuing. "It also says that he killed fifteen people – three in his first case along with an attempted suicide. He is suspected of murdering twelve people in the past year in addition to an attempted murder in Japan, and a kidnapping and torture incident." You tightened your lips into a thin line as he continued. "He also seems to have loved puzzles. And apparently he died this past January due to complications with a gunshot wound."

You weren't sure, but it almost seemed like he had narrowed his eyes for a brief second after reading that last line.

A few moments passed before he asked, "So, what do you make of all that?" 

Despite everything that Beyond had done to you – despite your flashbacks and unadulterated fear of the man – you couldn't help but think back to his final hours. His words were etched into your mind forever, and before he targeted you with them, he seemed to genuinely lose it. He said that L was the reason for a girl's – Alice's – death. No one elaborated on it, and you dared not ask, but you couldn't help shake the feeling that he was obviously close to her before whatever happened. Just as you had learned with your arrest, life was so much more complicated than just black and white. Truth be told, by his tone alone, a part of you understood why he did what he did, regardless of the horrifying effects he had left on you.

You couldn't help but sigh as you suggested, "People don't just attempt suicide for no reason. After getting caught and being in prison for so long, it probably made him snap completely. Everything he did after escaping was worse than the first case."

"Then why did he start killing in the first place?" he asked with a stern tone. "Robin, I know that you mean well, but he only hurt innocent people." 

You froze for a moment as you furrowed your eyebrows. "How would you even know that? I doubt that page had anything on the lives of his victims. What would you say if they weren't innocent?"

"Then I would say that he was a vigilante," Light argued. "His victims were all normal people living normal lives. If he really wanted to kill criminals, he could have just done it in prison."

You pursed your lips as your shoulders drooped. "I guess you're right."

You both continued working in silence – well, you gave the semblance of working before bringing up relevant articles and showing them to Light. Over the course of an hour you and Light found all information you could on the Beyond's first victims, his mugshot, scans of the autopsy reports that were used in his trial, and a few articles summarizing his alleged crimes as the Encryption Killer over the past year. The autopsy reports for his recent crimes were not available, so Light was relying more on articles from local newspapers covering the crimes. It had come to the point where Light was positive that he had enough information on the murders and was ready to move on to Beyond's final crimes in the United States: the kidnapping and torture of a young, unidentified woman. You did your best to keep your cool as the two of you worked.

"Hey, Robin," Light called out. "I found an article with a picture that seems fairly useful. What do you think of it?"

He clicked around before turning his laptop to face you, allowing you to read it. You closed your laptop and pushed it slightly to the side before turning your attention to the article. At the top of the page was an editor's note.

> Edit February 13th: The image that accompanied this article has since been removed because the file was corrupted."

You paused for a moment and glanced up at Light. He gave off an air of confidence as he waited expectantly for your response. You redirected your attention to read through the article. It described in a fair amount of detail how long Beyond held his victim, the types of injuries she and her rescuer sustained, and a final description of what the picture had looked like.

> _"The rescuer was a white man in his late teens or early twenties. He had long blond hair and was pictured carrying the unconscious victim out of the building. He sustained heavy burns to his left side in the explosion that later collapsed the building. The woman that he saved had sustained slight burning around her elbow and feet, suggesting that the rescuer may have protected her from the blast. The woman's individual injuries were hard to distinguish because she was covered in what appeared to be dried blood, and we were unable to get hospital records on her or the man."_

The article went on to vaguely describe your hair length and color, your skin color, and that your approximate age seemed similar to that of your rescuer. You glanced back and forth between Light and the article. Did he know?

You forced a cough and smiled nervously at him. "It's really detailed, but it looks like they took the picture down."

Light furrowed his eyebrows and frowned before looking down at the article himself. A few moments passed as you heard him scroll throughout the article. His eyes narrowed for a brief moment before he looked back up at you with a perfectly calm expression.

"That's strange, I must have just read it wrong," he told you. "If I'm missing this much right now, then perhaps we should continue another day." 

You tightened your grip around your knees as you smiled politely at him. "Don't worry about it, Light, we all have off days. We can just continue next week if you don't feel alright by tomorrow. I know you're busy on the weekends."

You tried to pay for the full bill, though Light refused to let you. After gathering your things, the two of you parted to return to your respective living spaces. As you straddled your bike and pedaled back to the rental house, you found yourself lost in your contemplation. He clearly knew who you were, so why would he go to such lengths to hide it? Was it to make you feel comfortable around him? You furrowed your brows. How would he even stumble across that article in the first place?

 

When you made it to the house, you found that Matt's car was missing, leaving only Mello's motorcycle on the side of the street as you leaned your bike next to it. Shaking your head, you reminded yourself that this was Matt's week to get the groceries. With that out of the way, you grabbed your backpack and let yourself into the house. A glance around the living room showed you that Near wasn't present either – which wasn't surprising given that he was well aware of how much Mello disliked him. Casting the thought aside, you headed toward the room that you shared with the blond so that you could put away your backpack and get started on some other homework that you had. As you reached for the handle and tried to turn it, the door wouldn't budge.

Pulling back, you called out, "Can I come in?"

On the other side of the door, you heard Mello mumble a curse before grunting, "I'm busy."

You furrowed your brows and cocked your head to the side at his clearly distressed tone. What on Earth could possibly be that big a deal? It didn't sound like there was an intruder, so what...? Your cheeks flushed a bright red as you realized that there were a few things that a teenage man would think to do in an empty house – after all, you did come back much earlier than expected.

As the shock subsided enough for the embarrassment to take hold, you rushed back out to the front of the house and forcefully sat yourself at the table. You tightened your lips into a thin line and tried to ignore your burning cheeks as you grabbed today's psychology assignment and attempted to focus on the work.

A few minutes in, your memory turned to when he interrupted you doing the same thing a few days ago. _Oh God, I can't believe I nearly walked in on him like that._ Of course, it would be easier to forget all that if you could distract yourself with your music, but your headphones were in the bedroom. You took a deep breath before focusing on your reading of the differences between a sociopath and a psychopath.

> "While there are many professionals who use these terms interchangeably, sociopathy and psychopathy have different defining characteristics. Both are listed in the general heading of Antisocial Personality Disorders, meaning that they share the following behavioral traits, which may be part of the reason for common confusion:
> 
> • A disregard for laws and social mores  
>  • A disregard for the rights of others  
>  • A failure to feel remorse or guilt  
>  • A tendency to display violent behavior
> 
> "It is important to keep in mind that the behavioral traits are used as indicators to diagnose sociopathy and psychopathy, but not every person with these disorders will display every trait. Diagnosis differs from nation to nation according to which manual the professionals use.
> 
> "Sociopaths are the more volatile of the two. They are prone to outburst and are easily agitated. These are likely to be uneducated people who often become social outcasts as a result of their disorder. Sociopaths are unable to hold steady jobs or stay in one place for long. While it is difficult for sociopaths to form emotional attachment, it is not impossible. In cases when they form these attachments, they still display no regard for society or its rules. Any crimes committed by a sociopath are likely to be haphazard, disorganized, and spontaneous rather than planned.
> 
> "In contrast, psychopaths are unable to form emotional attachments or feel real empathy with others, but they often possess charming personalities. These people are highly manipulative and can easily gain a person's trust. Some are even so good at faking these emotions that they can have families and long-term relationships without suspicion. Psychopaths are usually well-educated and can easily hold steady jobs. Crimes committed by psychopaths are highly planned, often with contingency plans in place. Their crimes, whether violent or non-violent, will be highly organized and offer few clues– if any– for the authorities to pursue. 
> 
> "The causes of sociopathy and psychopathy are different. Sociopathy is believed to be a result of childhood trauma and physical/emotional abuse – termed "environmental" causes (the "nurture" part in the "Nature vs. Nurture" argument.) Psychopathy is believed to be predominantly a result of genetics – the "nature" part of the "Nature vs. Nurture" argument. This results from a physiological defect that led to the underdevelopment of the part of the brain that is responsible for impulse control and emotions."

The sound of the refrigerator door closing drew you out of your focus, but you kept your gaze locked onto the papers in front of you as you tightened your lips into a thin line.

There was a short silence before you heard Mello pull up a chair beside you and comment, "I didn't expect you to get back so early. Weren't you supposed to be working with Light on that project today?"

You glanced up at him before confessing, "Well, we _did_ meet for a bit."

Another lull before you felt a hand on your shoulder, drawing your attention to his concerned gaze as he asked, "Hey, are you okay? If it's too much, I can even go with you to try to get your professor to let you off this one."

"No, I'm fine."

He raised an eyebrow at you incredulously. "You're getting jumpy again."

"Okay, I'm not _fine,_ but it's manageable." Your eyebrows sunk as you nervously smiled. "I haven't had any flashbacks yet, but it's just... you know... uncomfortable..."

He nodded. "Then why did you come back so early?"

You glanced away as you thought back to that article. "Well..."

"C'mon, out with it. What's going on?"

You sighed as you directed your gaze to the paper. "He... showed me an article. He wanted me to look at the picture, but it was taken down a few months ago."

His tone lowered. "A picture of you that your friend took down."

"Yeah... by the description, it was..." You glanced up at him. "It was when you were carrying me out a-after the explosion." 

Mello scowled. "So he clearly found this article before February and knows the truth."

You nodded. "When I showed him that the pictures were gone, he got flustered and asked if we could meet again to work on the project another time."

He pursed his lips and looked to the side for a few moments. "I'll go with you next time to make sure he doesn't do anything to you."

You frowned. "I don't need you to babysit me – that would just make him more suspicious."

"Make _him_ suspicious?" he scoffed. "He's the one who found a foreign article about a fucking obscure criminal before Kira killed him, _and_ he keeps coming up to you in class. _You're_ the one who should be suspicious of _him._ And I know you want to be involved in the case – that's why I was just going to watch from a distance."

You furrowed your eyebrows. "He wouldn't do anything to me."

"If he's Kira, he would."

"I highly doubt that he is."

Mello narrowed his eyes. "Why the fuck do you think you're doing this mission?! It sure as Hell isn't because Ryuzaki thinks you need to go to school."

You clenched your fists. "You know damn well how stubborn he gets! Just look at how he treated the Misora case."

"I know that, but Light's pretty fucking suspicious!"

You huffed. "Fine. Even if he _was_ Kira, he would just see me as someone he protected from a murderer. He has no reason to try to harm me, okay? I want to do this one on my own."

His eyes softened as his shoulders drooped slightly and he exhaled loudly. "Alright, I'll let you do this yourself." He glanced to the clock. "Kira may have helped you once, but if he knew what you did before all this, you know that you would be a target, right?"

You tightened your lips into a thin line and turned away.

"He doesn't know you and he doesn't care about you as a person." He sighed. "Look, just promise me that you'll be more careful, alright?"

There was a short silence before you opened your mouth to agree, but his phone sounded off. You hesitated, prompting Mello to answer it. A few moments passed before he told the caller that he would be there shortly.

As he stood, he explained, "They might have found a lead on the Misora case. I have to go."

Still, he hesitated for a few moments as he watched you.

With a sigh and a sad smile, you told him, "Go. I have homework to do anyway."

He nodded and dipped into your shared bedroom to grab his keys and helmet before heading out. When the roar of the engine faded into the distance, you stood and made your way into the bedroom to retrieve the assignment you had intended on doing. As you set your backpack beside your nightstand, you found a chocolate bar placed on your pillow. A soft smile graced your lips.

 

*** * * April 30 * * ***

The sun was high that Sunday afternoon, and the men of the Yagami household had been hard at work at the task force headquarters. The youngest of the investigators – as far as he knew – walked over to L with a curious smile plastered on his face.

"Ryuzaki, is it true that you worked on the case of a murderer called Beyond Birthday?" Light asked.

L was silent for a moment as he glanced to his suspect. _He must either suspicious of Robin being Beyond's victim or he researched Misora after killing her as Kira and found out that she worked for me on that case._

"Ryuzaki?"

The great detective smiled childishly as he looked over to the brunet. "Did you say something, Light?"

The teen forced a laugh and repeated himself. "Is it true that you worked on the case of Beyond Birthday?"

"Yes, it's true." L shoveled some cake into his mouth as he asked, "You've been researching my past cases, haven't you?"

Light's eyebrows twitched downward for a moment before he explained, "No, I'm actually doing a project on Beyond Birthday for one of my classes. After I read that you worked on the case, I thought that it would be best to ask you if it were true. Since it is, would you mind if I asked you a few questions about the case?"

 _I'll have to contact Robin tomorrow morning to see how true this is._ L smiled. "Go right ahead."

"Is it true that you let Beyond Birthday pretend to be you while your agent was investigating the case?"

"I never let him do anything," L argued. "Agent Misora never told me about the other person who claimed to be investigating with her." After seeing Light's eyes widen slightly at the mention of the woman's name, L smiled and added, "Naomi Misora was the FBI agent who helped me put Beyond Birthday behind bars the first time. She recently went missing this year after her fiancé's death."

There was a small lull in the conversation before Light asked, "The first time? Didn't the detective Deneuve work on his case after he escaped from prison?"

 _Nice save, Yagami, but you have raised my suspicions by two percent._ L took another bite of his cake as he told the teen, "There is actually a network of L's. Deneuve is simply one of our alternate aliases."

"A network of L's?" Light's expression was neutral for a moment before he smiled. "You sure are full of surprises, Ryuzaki."

L put a thumb to his lip as he seemingly-mused, "There are other L's working on the Kira case too, but they are based elsewhere." After a moment he added, "As is obvious, please also keep this information confidential."

"Of course, Ryuzaki."

 

*** * * May 4 * * ***

After your programming lab, you and Light went straight to the café to finish your presentation. A few hours of hard work and practice passed before you submitted the powerpoint online and ordered a celebratory dinner. The two of you were conversing about your classes as you waited for your meals to arrive.

"So, Robin," Light began. "I've noticed that you're really good at programming. Why didn't you just take the class at the next level?"

"Well, I taught myself how to do it, so I had no credits to transfer," you explained.

"That's unfortunate," he commented. "How did you get interested in programming anyway?" 

"My friend introduced me to it."

"Really?" he asked with an intrigued tone. "What kind of programs did you write?"

"I wrote programs that would organize files better." 

Before he could pester you with more questions, the waitress returned with your meals. You and Light ate in silence for a few minutes before he spoke up again.

"I was wondering: how did you and Takeshi meet?"

You thought back to Mello before telling the brunet, "I've known him my whole life."

Light pursed his lips for a moment as he thought. 

"Do you remember when we first met and I asked you about Kira?" Light began, drawing your full attention to him once more. "Well, I was wondering-"

"Robin, you've gotta help me!" a masculine voice cried out from behind you. 

You gasped at the urgency of the tone as you whipped around to the source. "Are you okay?"

Kai tripped as he raced to your table, landing flat on his face. He quickly brushed it off and climbed into the chair next to you.

"You've gotta help me," he repeated before glancing across the table. "Hi, Light." Brown irises returned to you. "Please?"

As you opened your mouth, Light spoke up with annoyance clear in his tone. "She can't help you if you don't tell her what's wrong."

"Right!" Kai exclaimed before brushing his hair back and smiling at you. "So, there's this girl I like – No, she's not a girl, she's a woman," he amended. "And she's really pretty and really, _really_ smart. I want to ask her out, but she makes me super nervous and I never know what to say. So, I was trying to figure out how to do it, and then I was like, 'Hey, why don't I just ask another super smart girl what I should do?' Then I walked by and saw you in the window, and I was like, 'Hey, Robin's a super smart girl, I should go ask her.'" He then put his hands together. "So, will you help me?" 

You smiled apologetically at him. "Kai, I'd love to help, but I don't have any real experience in love and courting people."

He pouted. _"Please?_ Anything is better than nothing!"

"Just be honest with her," you told him. "Be yourself. If she doesn't like you for you, it will probably hurt at first, but then you can find someone who loves you for being you."

Kai was silent for a moment as he pondered what you said. 

"I guess that shouldn't be too hard," he mused before worry creeped up on him again. "Oh, I hope she doesn't find me annoying."

"Who is it, anyway?" you asked.

Kai's cheeks flushed red as he mumbled, "Kiyomi Takada." After a moment he added, "Is there anything else you can do to help?" 

"I'm sorry, but all I have is advice," you told him with an awkward smile. 

You watched as his shoulders drooped, matching the pout that now tugged at his lips. A few silent moments passed as Kai looked pleadingly at you, though you truthfully had nothing else to offer him.

He looked down with a sigh as he mumbled a despondent, "Okay..."

The teen rose from his chair as Light chimed in. "Just do what she said. You'll be fine."

Kai furrowed his eyebrows for a moment before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. His eyes flashed open as he smiled with a fierce determination.

"You're right! I've got this! I'm gonna go ask her out!" he cried out triumphantly as he pumped his fists.

Everyone in the café turned to see what was causing the commotion. Upon noticing this, Kai's confident demeanor immediately shrunk back as he hunched over and smiled nervously at you.

"But, just in case I _don't_ have this... Can I have your number so I can text you for help?" 

"Um, it's not something I really give out lightly," you explained with an apologetic smile. 

Light chimed in, "I don't even have her number."

Kai nodded to himself before freezing as he looked out the window. You looked back to see Kiyomi Takada walking by. You turned to face the lover boy again as his eyes followed the young woman.

He stood with a gulp. "Well, here goes everything."

Kai rushed out the door, trailing after the object of his affections. You and Light watched as he disappeared in his pursuit.

Light smiled at you. "That was nice of you to offer him advice."

"It was the least I could do, though I hope that it actually helps," you told him as you smiled awkwardly.

"That's more than most," he assured you. "I'm surprised that you don't have any romantic experience, though – you're an intelligent, kind, and attractive woman."

You felt your cheeks grow warm as the corner of your lip twitched upward. "Thank you, but it hardly felt like that in high school."

He raised an eyebrow. "I don't see why. You're always stopping to help people on our way to class – even if we're going to be late." You nervously glanced away, knowing that you couldn't refute that truth. "Being a woman, you should look about the same as when you started high school – men are the ones who go through puberty so late – and I know that we have several other classmates who find you attractive. It only makes sense to say that you had classmates in high school who felt the same way."

"Okay, but even if they did, no one ever mentioned it to me."

"I'm not refuting that," he pointed out. "You said that you didn't feel like an intelligent, kind, and attractive woman. I'm simply pointing out what you're having difficulty seeing." He leaned back as he flashed you a warm smile. "To my final point, you got into the best university on Japan and you're not even from here. That's an impressive feat for natives like myself, let alone someone who had to learn the language so flawlessly as you have."

Your brows twitched downward as you frowned slightly. "Oh, come on. I know I have an accent. If I can hear it, then it's probably much more pronounced to people like you who have spoken the language their whole lives."

"It doesn't impede my ability to understand you, which makes it near flawless," he argued. "And I wouldn't call your accent a bad thing – it's actually very endearing."

You laughed. "Are you sure that people find _me_ attractive and not just my weird accent?"

"Your accent it cute – not weird – and it suits your personality perfectly," he countered with a flirtatious smirk, prompting your rising blush. "How did you come to learn Japanese, anyway? I've heard that it's a difficult language for Westerners."

"Learning any language with a different alphabet and grammar rules can be difficult," you pointed out before a nostalgic smile tugged at the corners of your lips. "When I was young, a Japanese boy transferred to my school. He was getting picked on by a group of kids in our class– for his accent, actually– and I... well..." You nervously wrung your hands. "I was... rambunctious as a child."

Light raised his eyebrows. "You stepped in to stop the bullying, didn't you?"

"That was the goal, but..." You winced. "I may have... started a fight with the bullies."

The man across the table chuckled. "It's hard to picture you doing that."

"W-Well, like I said, I was-"

"I didn't say that was a bad thing," he added with a grin. "It was noble of you to try to protect him. Please, continue."

You felt yourself relax as you exhaled and smiled. "It ended pretty quickly because I was learning self-defense at the time. We all ended up in the principal's office and I had time to speak with the boy they were picking on. We started hanging out and I was teaching him what self-defense I knew while I tried to get him accepted by the rest of the class." You laughed. "He's the kind of person who feels like he needs to pay back everyone, so he ended up teaching me Japanese."

He nodded. "And this was Takeshi?"

You paled as you thought back to Mello. "No, no. Takeshi was different. He... Our parents were friends, so we knew each other for a long time. I guess he just never thought to teach me since we always spoke in English together."

"I see." He nodded to himself as he glanced away. "So how did Takeshi end up out in Canada with you?"

You frowned. "I'm not really sure. I never thought to ask."

"Are you still living together?"

You maintained eye contact as you told him, "No. I'm renting a house on my own now. He was just helping me get back on my feet."

There was a brief silence before he smiled. "Oh, congratulations on moving out. I haven't even been able to do that yet." He raised his glass to you as he commented, "Smart, beautiful, _and_ independent. It's no wonder you're popular among the men."

You laughed as your light blush returned. "I still don't see where you're getting that from, but I'll just have to take your word on it. Thank you, though."

He smiled warmly at you before you both went on to finish your meals. After paying, you both headed out and bid your goodbyes. You watched Light as he walked down the street before beginning your own trek back to the house.

*** * * May 9 * * ***

A few days had passed since you last saw Kai, and it was currently your turn to go grocery shopping. You had to keep what you bought to a minimum so that it would be able to fit on the back of your bike. You fished the shopping list out of your pocket and glanced through it. You already got the milk, lunch meats, and bread as well as some other things that you personally wanted. All that was left were a few things that the guys wanted.

You held your phone to your ear and it rang for a few seconds before someone answered it.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Hi, Matt. I'm just about done, so I was wondering if you or Near want me to pick up dinner. Mello's still out, right?"

"Yeah, they think they found the body. He probably won't be back until really late."

If that were the case, then maybe you should make sure to grab him something for when he does get back. "Okay, so is there anything you want me to get?"

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm not actually at the house," Matt told you. "Near's the only one home, but I guess you should probably get him something. He'll probably just keep up with his PB&J."

You raised an eyebrow. "Where are you?"

"The forensics team is done with the second Kira stuff. Mogi's busy with Mello, so Aizawa asked me to help," he explained. "They ID'ed the fingerprint, but the person died a few days before the tapes reached Sakura TV."

You sighed. "It seems like this Kira can also control people before they die."

"Yeah, I- Shit. I gotta go, there's a cop behind me."

With that, the line went dead. You sighed before returning the phone to your pocket. First you went down the candy aisle to get some chocolate for Mello. He was about to run out and you certainly didn't want to put up with him in a bad mood. Luckily, you managed to get the last box of his preferred brand of chocolate bars. Then you went to the next aisle and grabbed some pancake mix for Matt. You walked down to the other end to get some peanut butter for Near, but you found that his favorite brand was out of stock. You pursed your lips as you thought back to his usual. He probably wouldn't mind if you got a different brand as long as it was smooth. With that decided you made your pick and placed the jar in your cart.

After paying for your goods, you made your way outside. You pushed the cart to where you chained your bike and began unloading your groceries into a container you had strapped to it. After that, you returned the cart to its proper place. As you walked back to your bike, you heard someone cry out to you.

"Robin!"

Your eyebrows furrowed in concern as you turned to see Kai running up to you. He tripped over his own feet, but managed to catch himself before his face met the pavement. When he finally reached you, he was grinning ear to ear.

Kai could barely keep still as he excitedly spoke. "Thank you so much for all your help the other day. It worked out perfectly because now Kiyomi and I are officially dating!"

You smiled jovially at him. "Congratulations, Kai! I hope that you two have a very happy relationship together."

"Thanks! I really owe you," he began. "So, if you ever need my help with something, I'd be glad to lend a hand. Not that I really know what I could do, but the offer stands."

With that, he bid you a goodbye and scurried into the grocery store. You smiled before heading back to your bike. 

 

Meanwhile, Light was in his room finishing Kira's work for the day. He smiled to himself as he paused and leaned back in his chair. Ryuk tilted his head at this strange behavior.

"What's got you so happy?"

"I have finally come to a decision," he explained. "I'm going to recruit 'Robin' to work with me as Kira."

Ryuk laughed. "That's surprising. Didn't you say that you think she's that hacker who works for L?"

"I'm almost certain that that's her true identity. Robin worked with the 'other L's' as Deneuve on Beyond Birthday's case – that much is clear," Light told the shinigami. "I know that she was his victim. He probably found out that L wasn't on the case and took her as compensation for his rage."

There was a short silence before Ryuk commented, "I still don't understand why you would trust her to work with you, but it would only make things more interesting if you were wrong about it."

Light laughed and shook his head. "Robin Hood has ideals very similar to Kira. If I remind her of those ideals, I can convince her to work with me. L must have caught her and forced her to work with him as an alternative to exposing her and sending her to prison. It would explain why Robin Hood disappeared and came back only to speak out against the second Kira. Whether she agrees with L or not, she has to work for him. It would only benefit her to be rid of L altogether, and I will be able to do that. If she works with me, she can help me get his name and we can both be rid of him." He paused for a moment as he intertwined his fingers. "And that 'Takeshi' must be another agent of L's. I'll have to be cautious of him if I want to get closer to her."

He leaned back and put his hands behind his head as he grinned. "She would be a good asset for her hacking abilities and as a potential insider to L and his associates. She could also be useful as a potential girlfriend. It would only be fitting to have someone with my ideals, her hacking skills, and her intelligence by my side."

"Wait, didn't she say she didn't support Kira?"

"She avoided the question," he reminded the immortal being. "It's obvious where her true loyalties lie. If she were against me and was actually trying to catch me like L is, she would have said that Kira was evil and judged my reaction. L's profile of Kira was that he is childish and hates to lose, so they would assume that Kira would react negatively if he were confronted directly with opposition."

"Maybe she just really never thought about it."

He looked Ryuk in the eye. "No, it was obvious in her body language that she was keeping silent because her true opinion would only make L suspicious of her – and you heard her story about fighting off bullies as a child. She clearly still shares my ideals of protecting the innocent when the other authorities of the world are powerless."

Ryuk shrugged. "Heh. Whatever you say."

Light looked to the side as he smiled fondly. "Robin is one of the most genuine people I have met, and it's clear that she's holding back from a friendship thanks to L. She's warm and caring, and she would make the perfect supportive and loving girlfriend. It would be nice if Kira had someone like that – especially given her skillset."

The shinigami cackled. "Such strong words for a girl whose real name you don't even know."

"She'll tell me – it will only be a matter of time. I'll reveal myself after she does," Light explained with a smile as he turned to his computer. "Besides, it won't be an issue for long."

His screen lit up with a notification.

>   
>  _New message from softballginger:_ "Her name is..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All information on sociopaths vs. psychopaths comes from the American Psychiatric Association and the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. I'm not familiar with international views on this topic, but I imagine that it would be largely similar given its academic nature. You can find the particular article that I referenced [here](https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/wicked-deeds/201401/how-tell-sociopath-psychopath).


	17. Nightmare

*** * * May 10 * * ***

The sun was low in the sky by the time Light arrived at the most recent hotel to house the Task Force's headquarters. A frown was evident on the teen's face as he entered the elevator. His father had called him earlier to come and analyze a diary page that the second Kira sent to Sakura TV to be broadcast and all he could do was hope that moron didn't give too much away again.

Upon entering the suite Light saw the group on the far side of the room. L was sitting near the coffee table while Light's father stood next to him. Matsuda and Aizawa were standing on the other side of the table, the former looking like he was hiding something again.

_This must be another test,_ he reasoned.

The brunet's eyes narrowed slightly at the two large screens behind the group. The screen on the left had a white background with the black letter "D" written in the same font that was used for the fake Kira messages. The one on the right had the colors inverted and had "Coil" written on it in a font very similar to the one used by the Robin Hood Hacker.

_These must be the other people L said were working on the case,_ he deduced. _"D" must have recorded the message. Coil could be Robin Hood, though it could just be for show as another part of the test._

L smiled at Light as he gestured to the screens. "We will be having two other detectives helping us today, Deneuve and Eraldo Coil. We received a diary page that the second Kira wants to broadcast and I would like your opinions – yours too, Light."

As L picked up a piece of paper, the corners of Light's lips tugged into a frown. _The last thing he sent clued L into the existence of shinigami. That dumbass is going to get me caught if he keeps pulling this crap._

L turned to the screens and asked, "Can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear," Deneuve's mechanical voice answered.

"Yes," replied Coil using an automated voice.

L smiled. "Then we will begin. The second Kira sent a diary page from May of last year. The entry for the first says 'Already told a friend that I don't want to go to the festival in GW High School, but I got an invitation anyways.' May 4th: 'Went to the Super Arena with friend to see a concert.' The 5th: 'Last day of the break, nothing to do at home.' The 7th: 'School started, but I asked friends to take notes for me in class and I rested at home.' 10th: 'Refused friends' invitation to a party. Yokohama is too far.'

"13th: 'Friend came to borrow my CD and I lent it to her.' 16th: 'Forgot to do paper, so I copied from a friend.' 19th: 'I haven't read Jump for a while. It's so interesting.' 22nd: 'Met with a friend in Aoyama and looked at each other's notebooks.' 23rd: 'Met with that guy in the school café again. He ate pork curry.' 26th: 'Went shopping with friends in Shibuya and bought summer clothing.' 28th: 'A new Playstation can out!! Have to check it out!' 30th: 'Saw shinigami at the Giants game in the Tokyo Dome.' And that is the last entry," he finished.

_L must be thinking that he wants to meet up on the 30th at the Tokyo Dome since the word shinigami is mentioned, but he must really want to meet up on the 22nd in Aoyama,_ Light realized.

After a moment, the suspect spoke up. "Just like his last video, the term 'shinigami' is probably a keyword for Kira's method of killing. I think that he'll try to meet up with the original on the 30th at the Tokyo Dome."

Deneuve jumped in to explain, "There wasn't a game at the Dome last year on the 30th, but there is this year and it looks like tickets are still on sale."

_I thought so. That's the same voice scrambler that was used for the fake Kira messages,_ Light noted. _Deneuve must be the person or group who prepared them. I wonder, though, is this the same Deneuve who worked on Beyond Birthday's case or was that really Ryuzaki?_

This time Coil chimed in. "We should make sure that whoever goes out is in a disguise of some sort. I don't want anyone to risk getting killed by the second Kira."

_Coil's voice scrambler sounds like a cross between L's and Robin Hood's,_ Light noted. _Maybe he really is working for L._

Deneuve argued, "They'll be in danger anyway and walking around in a mask would just draw attention to them. If anything, they should go out in casual clothes to try to fit in."

L was silent for a moment before turning to Light. "What do you think?"

_I shouldn't say anything careless._ Light frowned. "Right now all I can say is that the second Kira is an idiot. If we broadcast this, the stadium will have to close."

"Yes, but if we don't broadcast it, he won't make a move," L added.

"But if he gets angry that we cancelled the game, there's no telling what he'll do," Matsuda commented.

"The second Kira practically worships Kira," Deneuve pointed out. "He said to your fake Kira in his last video that he wouldn't kill any more innocents, so I doubt he'd go against his word and risk pissing off the real Kira."

"Exactly, though I would have worded it differently," L commented. "We'll broadcast the diary page tonight and announce the cancellation of the game. Soichiro and Aizawa will go to the game in search of Kira anyway, but we should also have people go to Aoyama on the 22nd. There's something about that entry that stands out to me."

"I'll go with Matsuda," Light offered. "People my age hang out there anyway, so I'll stand out less."

With everything decided, Deneuve and Coil signed out. On the other side of the city, you turned off your laptop and walked out of the room with Near. Matt and Mello emerged from a room down the hall and the four of you made your way to the kitchen table. You frowned and remained silent as your mind weighed on the concern that you had voiced during the meeting. Even if the original Kira mostly left innocent people alone, the second was clearly not as forgiving. If he thought even for a moment that someone was searching for them, then he would surely kill them if their faces were exposed. Still, Mello had a point. The best way to hide during an undercover mission was to blend in, but this knowledge didn't do much to alleviate your concerns. You sighed as you glanced to the others. The blond caught your gaze and gave you a small smile as he put his hand on your shoulder.

*** * * May 11 * * ***

Bleary-eyed students sat in Psychology 101 that Thursday morning, the majority of them hoping that their group wouldn't be volunteered by the professor to present first. He took a few minutes to set up the projector and his laptop before opening one of the presentations and taking a seat with the students.

"Kai and Riku, you're up first."

The two boys groaned quietly before rising and making their way to the front of the room.

After handing the remote to Riku, the professor addressed the class. "Make sure to pay attention to all the presentations and record your comments on your handout. You should also be given a few minutes to profile each criminal after going over the crimes." He then turned to the presenters. "Whenever you're ready..."

Kai took a deep breath and stood tall as he gestured to the projector screen. "Today we're going to teach you about the Robin Hood Hacker." He clicked to the next slide, which had a faded version of your symbol as the background. "He was really active for about two years and there are too many hacks to cover all of them in the time we're given, so we're just gonna give you guys a brief summary of the important stuff."

"We are also going to point out any actions that the hacker took that are notably different from his other hacks," Riku added.

Kai smiled awkwardly and pointed to the list on the screen. "Robin Hood hacked into a bunch of well-known companies around the world, like the Yotsuba Company – based here in Japan – and Lando Electronics – based in the United States. As you might remember hearing on the news, both of these corporations have bad reputations related to allegations of corruption, worker abuse, and the deaths and disappearances of whistleblowers. In each case, Robin Hood shut down their website and replaced it with his symbol and a list of suspicious activity the company engaged in."

He clicked to the next slide. "This is a screenshot of Yotsuba's website before they changed it back. Oh, uh... he also showed their bank history, proving that there was corruption and that Yotsuba paid people to keep them quiet. He also linked to the local police's website – probably to encourage people to report Yotsuba, though his activity wasn't exactly legal either. Uh... Robin Hood also left a note explaining that a large amount of the Yotsuba CEO's money was wired to charity. And he pretty much did this to every major company that he hacked, though there is evidence that he took money incrementally before outing his targets publicly."

He handed the remote to Riku, who went to the next slide, which had L's symbol as the background. "It wasn't until a year had passed and several companies had already been targeted by the Robin Hood Hacker when the famous Detective L – who is currently working on the Kira case – announced his involvement in tracking down the hacker. He used taunting methods similar to those used recently on Kira to track the Robin Hood Hacker down to a specific nation – though the truth of this location has been questioned due to recent events. It was later revealed that the Pentagon – the headquarters of the United States' Department of Defense – was hacked by an unknown source. Many speculate that this was the work of the Robin Hood Hacker, though the lack of flamboyance behind the attack says otherwise."

Riku moved to the next slide before monotonously continuing. "From that point on, all major hacks included the aforementioned information as well as some form of taunt aimed at L. The Robin Hood Hacker continued in this manner until roughly two years ago when all activity came to an abrupt end. The hacker wasn't heard from again until last month when he hacked into Sakura TV and challenged the fake Kira. The real Kira tried to calm him in a message shortly after, though the Robin Hood Hacker has yet to make any sort of response."

Kai smiled and clapped his hands together. "So, we're gonna give you guys a few minutes to profile Robin Hood before we tell you more."

The room went silent as students looked down at their handouts and began filling in the appropriate space with their profile. You pursed your lips as you looked down at your paper. Of course you knew more details about the case than anyone other than maybe L or Matt, and no one knew what had been going through your head more than you, but just how far would you go with your profile? Would you try to humor them and go by what few details the group shared or would you take it a step further and give explanations based on specifics they didn't give?

You were silent for a few moments before putting your pencil to your paper. What safer way to do it than to give the official profile?

>   
>  _"The Robin Hood Hacker is most likely to be a man in his mid-thirties who worked for one of the companies he hacked, or he worked for a workplace inspection program. He is clearly frustrated by the lack of effective whistleblower protection, so the latter may be more likely. Due to the many hacks in the Western world, particularly the United States, it is likely that he is American. He is clearly a competitive person, but due to hiding behind an alias, he is likely in a lower position at work with low self-esteem."_  
> 

After you finished, you put down your pencil and looked up. Light had just finished too and smiled at you before glancing down to your response. You frowned slightly and tried to get a glimpse of his answer. Before you could start reading, the brunet nudged your arm and pointed up to the front of the room. As you redirected your attention, you saw Kai and Riku getting ready to start up again.

"Everybody good? Yes, no, maybe?" Kai asked as he glanced around the room with a smile. "Yes? Okay, good."

He clicked to the next slide, which showed two columns with bullet points. "So, our profiles pretty much matched up with the official ones, so we're going to give them both to you right now. We think that Robin Hood is probably a middle-aged man who works for one of the first companies he hacked, because we figured that someone witnessing the problems on the inside would be the most likely to act. At first, because of all the USA and Europe-based companies he hacked, and the fact that he hacked into the Pentagon, we thought that he was American or English or something. But, thanks to Robin Hood hacking into Sakura TV with _crazy_ -perfect timing – especially since it wasn't being streamed online – we think that he's actually Japanese."

"Or at least currently residing in Japan," Riku added with an irritated tone. "Alternatively, there is also the possibility that Detective L is actually the Robin Hood Hacker. This can be evidenced by the fact that L's supposed investigation into the hacker increased the media coverage of the hacks, which led to greater coverage of the misdeeds of the companies hacked, thus working in the hacker's favor. As we can see by the detective's bold taunts to Kira this past winter, he also possesses the same childish qualities that Robin Hood does. This theory is also supported by the Robin Hood Hacker denouncing Kira in public despite the fact that their ideals hold many similarities. This also leads to the theory that L is also Kira and using his detective name to bring media attention to Kira and now using his hacker name to do the same, but that is another debate for another day."

Kai rolled his eyes and clicked to the next slide, which simply listed their sources. "Questions, comments, concerns?"

You hesitated for a moment and briefly glanced to Light before raising your hand. "That was a very informative presentation, though I disagree with you on the theory that L is also Robin Hood and Kira. Perhaps I'm naïve, but I don't think that a single person should or even could hold that much power and be able to get away with it."

Kai nodded his head, "Yeah, I thought it was a bit out there too."

"Ugh, open your eyes," Riku growled as he narrowed his own. "It's obvious that L is really the Robin Hood Hacker and Kira. You're just too naïve and foolish to admit it."

You furrowed your eyebrows in irritation, though refrained from saying anything. Beside you, you could see that Light had tensed somewhat too.

The professor intervened. "You know, Riku, name-calling tends to indicate the exact naïveté that you are accusing Kai and Robin of. Perhaps you should take a lesson in respectful debate before speaking again."

With that taken care of, Light raised his hand. "That was well done, but I have to disagree with your profile almost entirely. Yes, it would be the easiest explanation if Robin Hood worked for one of those companies, but don't forget that the corruption and abuse were being covered in the news and social media. It would be easy for someone outside the company to hear about it, and a hacker would find no trouble getting into their systems to find the truth. Not only that, but I think that Robin Hood is actually a young adult, maybe even a teenager, because young people still believe that they can change the world and have less of a sense of consequences. Most middle-aged men would be far too concerned with keeping their jobs to try to dole out vigilante justice."

Kai shrugged as he scratched his head. "Sure, that sounds like a good theory to me."

"No, it sounds idiotic," Riku huffed as he narrowed his eyes at Light. "Such advanced hacking is far too difficult for a child to learn. The Robin Hood Hacker has to be an adult with many years of experience."

The professor jumped in. "Settle down, we still need to get a few more presentations done today. We can debate about the profiles if we have time in the end of the semester. You did an excellent job, boys."

The class clapped for the pair as they sat down, but your focus was on Light the whole time.

 

That afternoon you found yourself back at the house with Near. Matt and Mello were both out working on their respective aspects of the case, but you were stuck in the house with sifting through heart attack deaths again. You had your laptop opened in front of you to use your program to narrow down the list before you and Near went through it case by case. It was silent for a while as your thoughts began to drift elsewhere.

"What is it?" Near asked.

You looked back up to find him pouting slightly. "Huh?"

"I have known you long enough to know when you're distracted," he explained. "And I know that we're not going to get anything done until you're focused again. So, what's wrong?" 

You frowned as you looked down at your lap. "I'm just worried. What if this doesn't work out or something happens to Matt or Mello while they're out working? I don't want to lose anyone else..."

Near twirled his hair as he thought for a few moments.

You pursed your lips as you glanced away. What you were keeping to yourself was your main concern at the moment. What if Light really was Kira? Yes, you had only known him personally for just over a month, but he was genuinely your friend. On top of that, he was always kind to you – a true gentleman – but how he knew so much about you was the concerning part.

Still, Light was a perfect student – a genius rivaling L. Would it really be too much to say that he got curious of you after your first meeting at the entrance exam? After all, you were all sorts of injured and jumpy, and he clearly noticed that something was wrong when you had that flashback at his dinner table. California isn't too far from Canada – or at least, the part where you were imprisoned isn't – so he should have been able to use this small detail to stumble upon that article that he was trying to show you a few weeks ago. He probably tried to bring up his knowledge of the truth to make you feel better – so that you knew you could trust him with your feelings.

Regarding his clear suspicion of you being Robin Hood, that could easily be explained by his interactions with both you and L. Sure, all things computers and coding disgusted you now, but you still had that class together and he clearly noticed that you were excelling in it – why else would he be asking you all those questions back then? And who knows what information L was feeding him.

Try as you may to justify all that he knew, a nagging voice whispered from the back of your mind that maybe he just really was Kira. And even if a part of you still agreed with him, you had no choice but to work to catch him – it was that or prison. Regardless of your opinion on the matter, if Light were really Kira and he was caught, L would surely have him killed. How could you let that happen to your friend?

"I have confidence that we will be able to catch Kira," Near told you plainly, drawing your attention to him again. "As for your other concern, they appear to be closing in on the second Kira. They will be wearing masks and other such gear to protect themselves because that seemed to work during the broadcast." He paused for a moment before adding, "Truthfully, you're in more danger than anyone. I would prefer it if you saw Light less often to decrease the chances that he could kill you if he's really Kira."

A sigh escaped your lips before you nodded and got back to work.

*** * * May 16 * * ***

The class applauded as Kiyomi and her partner sat down.

"And last, but certainly not least, we have Robin and Light," the professor stated as he turned to you both.

You and Light headed to the front of the room and opened your presentation before taking your places on either side of the projector screen. After the class settled down, the professor handed the remote to Light and let him begin.

"Robin and I will be talking about the serial killer, Beyond Birthday," Light began. "He is responsible for the Wara Ningyo murders in Los Angeles a few years ago, and is thought to be responsible for the Encryption murders in Los Angeles over the past year."

He switched to the next slide, which was a small collage of the autopsy reports of Beyond's victims.

"He killed three people in the Wara Ningyo murders," you explained. "In each case, he sent a crossword puzzle to the Los Angeles Police Department which, when solved, contained the identity of his next victim as well as when and where the victim would be killed. The LAPD were unable to solve the puzzles and eventually called in L for help. His victims were each of different ages, sexes, and ethnicities, and they were all killed using different methods. What connected them together was that in each case the crime scenes were wiped perfectly clean of fingerprints, the solved crossword puzzles identified them as victims, wara ningyo dolls – voodoo dolls – were nailed to the walls of the bedroom, and the murder room was locked from the inside."

His face flashed before your mind's eye and you tensed.

You took a deep breath upon noticing your trembling fingers before continuing. "H-His first victim had four dolls nailed to the walls of the room. The second had three dolls, and the third had two dolls. His fourth supposed victim was actually himself. He nailed one doll to the wall to identify the killer, locked the door, and attempted to burn his own body. He was arrested just before his suicide and convicted of the three murders. H-He was spared the death penalty and pleaded insanity."

Light glanced at you with a slight frown before taking over. "He escaped prison last summer, but it was covered up until after the Encryption murders had stopped. Similar to his last set of murders, Birthday's victims were all of different ages, sexes, and ethnicities, the crime scenes were all wiped clean of fingerprints, and his method of killing was different in each case. Rather than sending crossword puzzles ahead of time, he left encrypted messages at the scene of each of his murders. This prompted another famous detective, Deneuve, to work on the case."

He turned to a new slide which listed each of the crimes. "He killed a total of twelve people this time, beginning this past June. He initially killed every three weeks, but he accelerated as the year went on. This pattern kept up until everything changed in December. Then, he killed two people in a single night-"

The pools of blood in the victim's kitchen flashed across your mind's eye. Your stomach churned as you felt your own blood draining from your face, unable to so much as draw in breath.

Light's voice sounded far away as it broke through your trance.

_"-going on to kidnap and torture-"_

Your vision shifted again to the dark room that you were once imprisoned in as Beyond dragged you across the room and back to the chains after your escape attempt. 

_"I tried being nice to you – I really did,"_ he shrieked. _"But here you are, rejecting my hospitality. You've hurt my feelings and you will be punished for that."_

You could feel your real body tense as the vision of Beyond dragged his blade through your flesh. Searing pain engulfed your senses as he tortured you with his knife and repeated your name over and over. You gritted your teeth as you tried to get ahold of yourself, but you kept succumbing to the reality of the flashback.

Your muscles began to relax and the vision began to fade as you felt a warm hand settle on your back. Another hand gently wrapped around yours as your senses fully returned to the classroom. You were greeted with the vision of your classmates writing in their packets. When your attention shifted to the hands on your body again, you turned to face the source.

Light appeared to force a small smile as he whispered, "You should have told me that you were nervous. We don't have much more to go over, but I'll pick up where you stop if you need me to."

You absentmindedly tugged at the end of your shirt as you mumbled, "Thank you."

Upon looking back out at the crowd, you noticed that many of the students were done writing their profiles of Beyond. You and Light returned to your respective spots and waited another few minutes for the class to be ready for your presentation to continue. Light clicked to the next slide, which showed Beyond's mugshot.

"This is Beyond Birthday," Light began. "He has no known records until his arrest for the Wara Ningyo murders, and no one has come out to claim to know who he really is or where he is from. This has led to many speculations, some as strange as the theory that he is a demon. Birthday never admitted to a motive for any of his crimes, so our profile is mostly speculation."

You took Light's pause as your cue to continue. "As I pointed out before, his victims had nothing connecting them, making it clear that he didn't care who he killed. The guards at his prison and those who spoke with him during his trial all agreed that, despite his apparent insanity, he was a genius. It is also apparent that he had OCD or some sort of obsessive tendencies. This can be shown by the fact that he perfectly cleaned the crime scenes as well as his obsessive behaviors toward L, jam, and puzzles."

Light picked up again. "Birthday's murders were all clearly very impersonal, so that's why the kidnapping and torture incident stands out. He spent three long days giving a single person attention in a very personal crime. This person either meant a lot to him or she represented someone he hated, perhaps an ex-girlfriend or an abusive mother."

Trying to keep the topic off you, you added, "The other strange thing about his case was that he disappeared for a month before attempting murder in Japan. Since he left in December, when L determined that Kira was Japanese and announced that he was working on the case, this further confirms that he was obsessed with L and probably wanted to either impress him or kill him." 

"Any questions?"

The room was silent except for a few coughs. After a few moments, you and Light returned to your seats.

The professor stood to address the class. "Everyone did a great job. I'll get your grades back to you by Friday. Class dismissed."

You gathered your belongings before heading out the classroom, lost in thought. Thank goodness that was finally over. To be honest, you thought that it went fairly well, and you didn't have a full blown panic attack in front of everyone, which was nice. But no matter how much you tried to be positive, you couldn't help the unease that hung over you. Not even sleep would save you from the dead man's grasp.

 

Your dreams were plagued by you reliving your horrifying torture. Even when it turned to current events as you walked around the campus with Light, Beyond's ghost still hunted you down. A scream ripped through your lungs as he killed you again, waking you from your restless slumber as you jolted up.

Tears streamed down your cheeks as you heard someone rush over. Mello pulled you into his arms as he sat next to you.

He stroked your hair as he repeated, "It's okay. Just let it out." 

All was silent for a few minutes as you cried into his chest again.

"Was is Beyond again?" he whispered.

You nodded. "I-I can't g-get him out of my head! I-I know he's dead, b-but he just keeps coming back."

"I know." He sighed before whispering your name. "It'll get better, and I'll keep you safe this time – I promise."

The conversation ended there, but Mello stayed awake to comfort you late into the night. You eventually fell asleep in his arms, but he couldn't find it in him to join you, his own mind running through the horrors he had inadvertently brought down on you.

*** * * May 19 * * ***

The afternoon sun shined through the windows of the Criminal Justice building as you walked through the long hallways. Your essay on Beyond Birthday was handed back earlier that morning along with a rubric that contained your grades on the essay and presentation, student comments and profiles, and a note from the professor. He wanted you to come to his office later that day to discuss something, though he didn't reveal the topic. Maybe he just wanted to give you advice on presenting? Some of the student comments were related.

As you rounded the final corner, you noticed someone else making his way to the professor's office and raised an eyebrow.

"Light? What are you doing here?"

He mirrored your expression before smiling. "The professor asked me to stop by today."

"Oh, me too."

The both of you knocked on the door and waited for a moment before it was opened and the professor let you inside.

"Thank you two for coming today. Please have a seat." He gestured to two chairs in front of his desk before taking his seat behind it.

You and Light sat down and looked up at the professor expectantly as he smiled at you.

"I was impressed by your outstanding work not only on your own assignments but also on the profiles you wrote for the other presentations," he told you. "As you know, I'm the head of the Criminal Justice, Psychology, and Pre-Law Department. Every year I select a few students to enroll in the accelerated program which gets students jobs with the NPA by their third year along with other such opportunities. I have chosen the two of you as my first choices for the positions."

He picked up two manila folders from his desk and handed one to each of you. At a glance you could tell that it was filled with information about the program and forms should you choose to accept.

The professor's voice redirected your attention to him again. "Think about your decisions and get back to me by the end of the month."

You and Light thanked him for the opportunity before leaving and heading toward the elevator.

"So, what do you think?" Light began. "Are you going to enroll in the program?"

You held your arms together as you looked to the side. "I don't know. I need to think about it." As you both entered the elevator, you asked, "What about you?"

He smiled confidently. "I'm going to go over the details first, but I'll most likely choose to enroll."

You nodded in acknowledgement and everything fell silent as the elevator descended. As you and Light made your way to the exit, you noticed him smiling at you as his eyes trailed up and down your body. He opened the door for you before following you outside. You paused for a moment to admire the fountain in the courtyard as Light took his place beside you.

"I really enjoyed spending time with you on the project," he began. "I would like it if we got to know each other better in a less work-oriented setting."

You turned to face him fully and tilted your head as you felt your heart skip a beat.

Light smiled warmly at you. "Would you like to go out with me this weekend? Maybe go to a restaurant and see a movie, or something like that?"

The corners of your lips tugged into a shy smile as you felt blood rush to your cheeks. "I-I would love to."

Light smiled brightly at you. "Great! I'll pick you up at your house. What's your address?"

Although you were initially hesitant to give it out, you could just have Matt and Near hide while he comes over. You told him the address.

He thanked you before adding, "I'll pick you up at noon."

With that said, you went your separate ways.

 

The living room was mostly empty as you explained the situation to Near.

"So, I need you to stay in the back room until I'm gone. I'll text you when we're on our way back."

Your partner frowned as he gazed into your eyes and sighed. "I know that this is your choice and no one has the right to stop you, but I wish that you would stop putting your life in such great danger."

"What are you talking about?" a voice from behind interrupted.

You tensed as you turned to face him. Mello had just arrived and had his arms crossed as he looked at you.

"It's nothing," you began. "I'm just-"

"She's going out with Light tomorrow and he's picking her up from here at noon," Near told him.

"What?!" His eyes went wide for a moment before he took a deep breath. "Okay, you and I need to talk. Come here."

He gestured for you to follow and you did, albeit hesitantly. When you made it to your room, he closed the door behind you and turned around. He was frowning, but his eyes didn't portray anger – it was more like sadness. You tightened your lips together and looked down as you held your arms.

"You're going on a date with him?" he asked in a pained voice. 

You sighed and mumbled, "Yeah."

There was a silence between the two of you before he spoke up. "I thought we had something..." 

He reached out for you, but you flinched and backed away. When you looked back up at him, he looked like you had just burned him. You recalled that night a month ago and the argument you had just before you kissed.

You clenched your fists. "How was I supposed to know that you felt that way? You never said anything about it and you weren't acting any differently."

"Are you kidding me?" he groaned. "Did it ever occur to you that _maybe_ that's because I've liked you for a while? And don't give me that shit about not saying anything 'cause you didn't either. Besides, you're the one that moved first."

Your voice was trembling as you avoided eye contact. "I-I was emotional and high on adrenaline. I-I wasn't thinking straight."

Mello folded his arms. "Then think straight now. If it were Matt or Near, would you have done the same thing?"

You were silent as you considered the thought. Of course you wouldn't kiss them – that would just be weird. As the realization dawned on you, your eyes widened and your cheeks flushed a light pink.

You pursed your lips as you tried to push this new revelation aside. "It... it doesn't matter. Feelings change and I'm going on a date with Light."

Mello looked down for a moment and sighed. "Christ, you're stubborn sometimes. Look, regardless of my feelings, I still don't think you should go on this date."

"Why the Hell not?!" you hissed. "You're... You're just jealous. You don't have a real reason to stop me!"

He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists as his voice began to rise. "You're going on a date with a guy who could be a mass murderer – of course I want to stop you!"

"I've been interacting with Light the most out of everyone on the Task Force – I would know if he were Kira by now." You narrowed your eyes as you added, "It's _my_ choice, Mello."

He sighed and whispered your name. "I just don't want to see you get hurt. I know that you're getting attached to Light, but if he is Kira, he's going to get the death sentence. Please-"

"I know! I know..." You wiped your tears as you turned toward the door. "J-Just forget it."

You darted to the bathroom and closed the door behind you, leaving a crestfallen Mello behind. He sat on the edge of his bed and ran a hand through his hair with a sigh. His gaze remained at the floor for a few moments before he narrowed his eyes, plotting.


	19. Masked Love

*** * * May 20 * * ***

You were standing in one of the back rooms of the house with Matt and Near as you waited for Light to arrive. Mello had left earlier that morning, claiming that he would be out doing field work all day.

Matt handed your belt over as he reminded you, "I rewired the emergency button to contact us directly instead of L. There's also a GPS tracker in there now too."

As you put on the belt, you heard a knock at the door. After a quick goodbye, you rushed to the front of the house while your friends remained hidden. You opened the door to reveal Light, who was dressed nicely for the occasion. He smiled as you hooked arms and left.

Light looked to you and smiled as he asked, "Robin, what is your favorite kind of food?" 

You mirrored his expression as you told him.

"I know a good place for that in town," he told you.

You made small talk about the city and your classes as he led you to your destination. Luckily, there was no wait once you got there and you were seated immediately.

After ordering your meals, Light explained, "I would like to get to know you better, Robin. Why don't we make this fair and take turns asking questions?"

"Sounds good to me."

He smiled at you. "Ladies first."

You smiled as you thought of something to ask. "What do you like to do in your free time? I know you play tennis, and obviously you study often, but what else?"

He smirked slightly. "I spend my time researching various crimes related to unsolved cases." Light paused to think for a moment before asking, "What are your hobbies?" 

You pursed your lips for a moment before listing them off. The waitress returned with your drinks.

You took a sip of yours before going into your next question. "What do you want to do when you get your degree?"

He weaved his fingers together. "I plan to go into the police force and work for a few years before applying to a detective position. After a few years of that, I hope to have enough experience to reach the title of Head Detective and investigate high-profile cases so that I can protect the people." 

"Wow, that's such a detailed plan." You laughed. "I wish I could say I had the same, but I really don't know what I want to go into."

He raised an eyebrow. "Really? That's surprising coming from someone so intelligent. Why did you major in psychology?"

You shrugged. "It seemed like an interesting place to start."

The waitress was quick to return with your freshly-cooked meals. You prepared to dig in, but Light had one more question.

"You seemed very interested in Kai's and Riku's presentation. What is your opinion on the Robin Hood Hacker?"

You hesitated before admitting, "I think that Robin Hood was very misguided. He tried to help in the beginning, but in the end he was just as much a criminal as his targets. It seems like once L came into the picture, he focused more on beating him than trying to help people. Sometimes, Kira seems like that too."

Light pursed his lips for a moment as he nodded. "I see. There really are many similarities between the two."

With your question and answer session complete, the two of you focused on your meals in relative silence. Time passed as you ate, but the hairs on the back of your neck stood on their ends. Something wasn't quite right. Was it the odd-tasting food? Light's mood? The quiet in the room?

Well, there was all of that too, but you had this strange feeling that someone was watching you.

After finishing your meals, Light paid for them and you stood to leave. As you turned to face the door, you caught a glimpse of someone sitting alone in the corner. The man was wearing a suit and hat, and he was sporting a large pair of sunglasses. Blond hair peeked out from under the hat and the remains of scar tissue were visible around the left side of his face. Mello's disguise was good, but not good enough.

You narrowed your eyes slightly before fully exiting the building.

Outside, Light asked, "What else would you like to do today?"

You knew that Mello would be stubborn enough to follow you no matter what you decided, so you opted to ignore it. "Let's go for a walk in the park."

Light smiled and hooked arms with you and led you to the park. You looked around as you admired the scenery before casting a quick glance behind you. Sure enough, Mello was there.

Light narrowed his eyes briefly as he glanced back before smiling brightly at you. "You know, Robin, you look remarkably beautiful today."

You blushed and laughed nervously. "T-Thank you. You look amazing too, but you always do." 

You continued your walk until you made a full lap around the park. With the day's light diminishing, you decided that it would be best if you returned to the house. You sent a quick text to Matt before making your way back with Light. On the way back to the house, you and Light had exchanged phone numbers.

When you finally arrived at the house, Light smiled as he glanced over his shoulder. "It looks like your friend isn't following us anymore. Other than that mishap, I really enjoyed the day with you, Robin." 

You smiled as a soft blush rose to your cheeks. "Me too. I wish every day could be like this." 

He walked you up to the doorstep before stopping and smiling at you. "Robin, I know this is sudden, but I feel like I've known you for much longer than these few months we have. You know that I spend most of my time studying, and while that has a place in securing my future, I have more in mind for my life than just working. I know that you were uncomfortable with the topic we had to present on, but I feel very lucky that I was paired up with you. All that time we spent together – just the two of us – it made me more relaxed and more happy than I have been in a long time."

You felt your cheeks warm as the corners of your lips tugged into a shy smile as he continued.

"I do find you attractive – I've told you that many times – but you are much more than just a beautiful woman. It isn't often that I can find someone who I can communicate so well with – someone with the same level of intelligence as you. Now that I know you better, I know that I can't let this opportunity slip by me. Robin, will you be my girlfriend – at least give me a chance?"

Your heart beat rapidly as you blushed and smiled, though the image of Mello briefly flashed across your mind. "I... I would really like that."

Light smiled brightly and gave you a kiss on the cheek before bidding his goodbyes. Your fingers ghosted against your cheek as you blushed and mentally noted to keep the truth from the others.

*** * * May 24 * * ***

The moon was high as you sat at the table and worked on your homework with your laptop opened in front of you. Near was sitting beside you, sipping on some tea. It had been a few days since your date with Light. You had another one scheduled for the following weekend, but his behavior had noticeably changed while you were together at school. He was practically glued to your hip – even more than before.

You hadn't had the time to confront Mello about his actions yet because he was always out when you were home. It seemed like he had been avoiding you ever since your date with Light. A pang of guilt resonated in your chest as you thought back to the whole incident. Did Mello know that you were dating Light now?

You furrowed your brows. _No, why should I feel bad about that? It's my life and he has no right to stop me from living it._ Still, that question he had asked you – whether you would have kissed Matt or Near – was weighing on your mind. You knew the answer and that was exactly why you had avoided sharing it with him. Pursing your lips, you stared down at your lap. Maybe... maybe that was why you felt this guilt, but you shouldn't have to do this to yourself. Feelings _do_ change, and Light had been actively courting you for some time now. Despite all this, you couldn't help but think back to how Mello would react to the news, a sigh forcing its way through your lungs.

As you refocused your attention on one set of definitions, your laptop glowed with Watari's symbol. "Ryuzaki, another package was sent to Sakura TV. According to the stamp, it was sent last night with rush shipping. I'm streaming the video to you now."

The screen switched to the second Kira's signature symbol as his voice scrambler read out, "I have found Kira. Thank you to everyone at the TV station and the police station."

With the long silence that followed, you realized that L must not have the microphone plugged into his computer.

Near mentioned, "The only possible location is Aoyama."

You frowned, knowing that Light was one of the investigators to go there. "It was probably really busy, so that makes it difficult to say who there was Kira. We should check the security footage for anything suspicious."

Your partner nodded. "I agree."

*** * * May 29 * * ***

Your three colleagues had been hard at work over the past several days, painstakingly going over every second of footage from each of the recordings. Meanwhile, you have been keeping a careful eye on Light. In the immediate days after the video arrived he had appeared visibly more stressed, but it seemed to tone down following your second date this past weekend.

Every time you saw him, he became more affectionate – much like you had imagined a normal relationship would be. He held your hand when you walked together. He visibly relaxed every time he looked at you. He smiled and laughed, but it never seemed forced anymore. You were beginning to wonder if he was really into you or just that perfect of an actor.

You were sitting next to Light in your programming lecture, absentmindedly looking down at an empty page in your notebook. No matter what you did, your mind continued to drift to what you had learned the previous day. L had called to inform everyone that if he died soon, Light was certainly Kira. He told you that it would be up to you to play into Light's hands to get him to confess if this were the case. You frowned, eyes downcast as you wondered how honest Light was being. You really liked him, but L had reminded you again that you couldn't even be sure if he was trustworthy.

A sudden hand on yours drew your attention out of your thoughts. You turned to face Light, who was smiling comfortingly at you.

"I know that you find this class boring, but you're never this distracted," he whispered. "What's bothering you?"

You sighed before telling him, "Something's bothering me at home." 

He frowned slightly. "Is it Takeshi?"

"Yeah, he has been acting jealous lately."

Light sighed. "I suspected as much after he followed us on our date." He smiled as he added, "We'll get through this."

You forced a smile and thanked him just before the professor dismissed the class.

As you gathered your things, Light suggested, "Why don't we get a quick breakfast together before my next class?"

"Sure."

You followed Light into the hallway where you were approached by Kai and Kiyomi.

The former had a massive grin on his face as he asked, "Are you guys finally dating yet?"

You smiled softly at Light before confirming Kai's suspicions.

He could barely contain his excitement as he danced in his spot. "I totally called it. You go girl!"

Kiyomi smiled at Kai before turning to you and Light. "Congratulations."

Light thanked her before Kai suggested, "We should totally do a double date some day! I mean, if it weren't for you guys, I never would've gotten the guts to ask Kiyomi out."

You laughed. "That's true. I think a double date could be fun." You turned to Light. "Maybe next weekend?"

He pursed his lips. "I'll think about it."

Your shoulders drooped before you turned back to Kai. "Sorry, I... he works and studies a lot on the weekends. Maybe... maybe we can work something out some other time."

Kai pouted. "Aww, okay."

Meanwhile, Kiyomi furrowed her brows as she glanced between you and Light. With that decided, you bid your goodbyes. Light intertwined his fingers with yours before exiting the building.

As you began to walk across the campus, Light explained, "I was thinking that we could just stop at the café since it's close by and I have another class in an hour."

"Sounds good to me."

The two of you were silent for a while before you passed a bench with someone very noticeable sitting on it: L.

He looked up from his book and smiled at both of you. "Light, Robin. Good afternoon." 

Light tensed somewhat as all enjoyment washed from his face, and you paled as you realized that you had been caught.

He released your hand as he told you, "Robin, I need to talk to him alone about something. Let's meet up again later."

Before you could so much as open your mouth, L intervened. "She can stay. I only wanted to take a walk and decided to come to campus. It's so nice here." As he stood, he asked, "Want to get some cake?"

Light frowned. "Actually, Robin and I were just going to-"

"Light! There you are!"

You noticed Light's eyes widen and his body tense as he whipped around to see a blonde girl in gothic Lolita clothing standing behind him.

She smiled and leaned forward as she explained, "I came to this area for a photo shoot, so I just dropped by to see you."

The blonde caught your curious gaze and immediately scowled. "Who are you?"

Before you could speak, Light stepped between the two of you and told her, "This is my friend, Robin. I bet you would like her."

The girl pouted. "Oh. You're _that_ Robin." She then turned to L and immediately brightened up. "Are you Light's friend? You look so unique." The blonde sent a snide look in your direction as she told him, "I'm Light's _girlfriend,_ Misa Amane."

Your eyes widened, mouth agape. Tears began to prick at the corners of your eyes as you glanced to Light, whose back remained to you. Did your relationship mean nothing to him? Sure you hadn't been dating for long, but after everything he said to ask you out, you thought that he cared about you.

L bowed as he introduced himself by his To-Oh alias.

Misa raised an eyebrow. "Eh? Ryuga Hideki?"

Light smiled as he put a hand on her shoulder. "Yeah, his name is exactly the same as that celebrity's. Interesting, isn't it?"

You furrowed your eyebrows at the strange interaction before noticing L's brief glance to you.

He then smiled at the blonde. "Light, I envy you. I'm a big fan of Misa's after reading the March issue of 18!"

Misa jumped up and down excitedly as she began to chatter away with L, unaware of yours and Light's baffled expressions. Your frown deepened as you looked down. It wasn't long before students began to notice and crowd around the model, chattering away in excitement. The crowd prevented you from making any sort of escape, trapping you a few feet behind Light.

A few minutes into the chaos, Misa screamed, "Ah! Who touched my butt?!"

You could barely see L step forward as he declared, "I won't allow such actions in the school. I'll take responsibility for catching him!"

Just as the blonde began to thank him, an older woman grabbed her wrist. "Misa, hurry up and go to the studio! You'll be late again!"

The model apologized to her manager before following her away from the crowd. Misa paused for a moment as she looked back and narrowed her eyes at you.

Then she smiled and waved. "Goodbye, Light! I'll see you after work."

With her exit complete, the students began to disperse. You heard bits and pieces as they discussed how pretty she was, though one comment stood out.

A young man sounded disappointed as he came to a realization. "Light? She and Yagami... What about Stone?"

Your lips tightened into a thin line. All that was left were you, Light, and L.

The eldest made eye contact with you for a moment before smiling at Light. "It looks like you have a mess to clean up. We're in the same Corrections class later, right?"

The brunet tensed and nodded. "Yeah, I'll see you later."

As L began to walk away, Light turned to face you. You refused to look up as tears pricked at the corners of your eyes.

"Robin..." He sighed and took a step closer. "I'm sorry for what just happened. Despite what it looks like, Misa really isn't my girlfriend. I didn't tell you sooner because I didn't want you to worry, but she has been stalking me and I decided to appease her to protect you until I can solve this."

Light gently held onto your hand as he reached for your face. You tensed and closed your eyes as he cupped your cheek. Even if you wanted to pull away – no matter the reason – you knew that L needed you to appear on Light's side if he was really Kira. You took a deep breath and opened your eyes, locking with his brown ones mere inches away.

His expression was soft – almost pleading – as he stroked your hair and confessed, "You are the most important person in my life, and I don't want to lose you over some crazy girl."

He closed his eyes and leaned in, gently pressing his lips against yours in a kiss. As much as you wanted to forget everything and enjoy this, you tensed at his touch. His skin was cold and his lips rough. You couldn't help but compare back to your kiss with Mello.

Light pulled away and smiled at you. "I just need to make a call before we head to the café." He checked his watch before adding, "It looks like we'll have just enough time to get there if we hurry."

He took a few steps back before pulling his phone out of his pocket. As you waited for him to complete his business, you found yourself looking off in the direction that L had just left in. You saw the great detective standing there at the end of the block, watching you from afar. You tensed and looked away, narrowing your eyes as you mentally cursed yourself for letting him see what had just transpired.

A bubbly tune loudly sounded off from L's direction. You looked just in time to see the detective smile before turning and answering the phone. To your other side, you noticed Light turn to locate the sound, eyes wide.

After a short pause, Light narrowed his eyes. "Ryuga, what are you doing?"

There was another short silence before he frowned and mumbled something about Misa. Whatever he said prompted L to hang up and approach him. You watched as L handed the phone to Light before another one began to ring.

L answered it and paused for a moment as he listened. "It's done? Ok, good."

After hanging up, he turned to face Light. "This may be good or bad news for you. Misa Amane has been arrested as the prime suspect for the second Kira."

As he went into detail about the evidence that led to her, you realized that Mello must have been out over the past week gathering that evidence from her residence. Maybe he really wasn't actively avoiding you as much as you had assumed.

"Since she's a celebrity, the official charge is drug possession." L addressed you as he added, "If you speak a word of what you just heard, you will be arrested."

You gulped at the tone in his voice before nodding, afraid to say anything suspicious in front of Light. 

"You can't do that," Light argued. "She hasn't done anything wrong!"

L narrowed his eyes slightly. "I have more power than you realize."

The brunet was silent as L walked off. When you looked over to him, his eyes were narrowed and his fists were clenched.

You hesitated for a moment before asking, "What just happened?"

Light frowned as he explained, "Ryuga isn't who he claims to be. Even though there's nothing illegal about you saying what you heard, you should take his threat seriously." He sighed before taking your hands. "I'll explain everything when it's safe."

You couldn't help but frown as you wondered whether he meant it was safe from Kira or safe from L. Why was it that every time you finally had something normal in your life, the illusion fell to pieces right before your eyes? From your first weeks working with Near and being treated as the criminal he saw you as, to that week of card games with Mello when you arrived in Japan, and now to dating the man who increasingly appeared to be either a cheating jerk or Kira. Maybe this was karma for accidentally sending those charities into bankruptcy – your own personal Hell where you could only get close to a normal life, but never return. With a sigh, you took Light's hand and followed him to your destination.

*** * * May 31 * * ***

You and the others had been watching Misa's confinement over the past few days, though you still had to go to class to keep an eye on Light. He had been a bit more distant, despite the kiss and his confession. All yesterday, Misa had acted incredibly defensive and made some statements that heavily implied that she was the second Kira, but her behavior made a complete 180 this morning. She began to act more accusatory and innocent, acting as if she was kidnapped by a stalker, not arrested.

If that wasn't bad enough, Light texted you last night to say that he wasn't being honest with you and broke up with you. When you woke up, you were informed that Light was now under voluntary confinement because he feared that he might be Kira. With him gone, you and the others were now allowed to return to headquarters with the rest of the Task Force. You were currently in your room packing your things as Watari made his way to the house to help you all move back in.

Mello was behind you, packing his belongings as he ranted for what seemed to be the millionth time in the past twelve hours, "See? I told you Light was a piece of shit. That scumbag was just using you the whole time."

You tightened your lips into a thin line as you silently shook. "I know. I know. I get it. I don't need you to keep rubbing it in my face every five seconds!"

Without giving him a chance to apologize, you grabbed your box and stormed out. 

 

After everyone's things were finally packed and ready to go, you made the return trip to the newest hotel to house the Task Force. Watari led you into the room where you were greeted with faces you hadn't seen in weeks, all gathered around a cluster of televisions.

Matsuda was the first to smile and approach your small group. "It's so nice to see you guys again." He paused for a moment as he looked from you to Mello. "Wow, you guys look so much better now. I can barely see your scars."

You looked over to Mello, noting that he was wearing his leather vest again. Come to think of it, you could only see some scar tissue around his joints and the edges of his face. You knew that your own scars had been healing nicely, leaving only faint outlines for the deepest and longest.

After putting your belongings away in one of the bedrooms, you reemerged and took your place with the group behind L.

The great detective smiled at you as he asked, "So, what's it like to have your boyfriend be Kira?"

His comment caused a stir in the task force. Matsuda audibly gasped while Mello folded his arms and looked away.

You frowned as you avoided eye contact and grumbled, "Shut up. He broke up with me anyway."

 

Elsewhere, a scream pierced the night as someone laid eyes on a shinigami for the first time.


	20. Ghosts of the Past

*** * * June 16 * * ***

The moon was high as the new owner of the Death Note pleaded with its pale shinigami. "It was an accident, I swear! I didn't mean to kill her. I-I was angry and drunk, and I didn't know what I was doing."

Rem was silent for a few moments as she gave an apathetic stare. "I have no control over the rules."

The human started to shake before begging her, _"Please,_ I-I don't w-want to kill anyone else!"

"It's your life or theirs," the shinigami explained. "I suggest that you just kill criminals to make it easier on yourself – that is what the Kira before you did."

"The Kira before... So that was what happened to him."

Rem nodded. "There has been a few week absence since you claimed ownership of the Death Note. You must kill one criminal for each day that was missed."

The new Kira's shoulders slumped as they blankly stared ahead. It was their own life or the lives of the criminals at stake.

*** * * June 18 * * ***

Nearly three weeks have passed since you moved back in with the Task Force. Everyone was watching the confinements of Misa, Light, and Soichiro. You tried to keep your eyes from straying to Misa's screens for too long because her distressed reactions to her restraints reminded you of your time as Beyond's prisoner.

Only a few days after volunteering for confinement, Light backed off on fearing that he was Kira, instead claiming that it was a ridiculous idea and that he didn't want to go through with the confinement anymore. L, of course, was stubborn about it and refused to let him skip out early. It seemed to be a good choice on his part because no new Kira murders had occurred since Light's confinement began.

You frowned as you looked away from the screens.

Matt stopped and lightly touched your arm. "Hey, what's wrong?" 

You sighed as you glanced between Mello a short distance away and the screens before whispering. "I guess... he was right..."

Your conversation was interrupted by Aizawa, who shouted out, "I just got word that two weeks' worth of criminals were just killed with heart attacks."

You looked to the screens to find that Light and Misa were acting the same as they were earlier that morning. Maybe it really wasn't them? You sighed. The world was still in danger.

Your digital trail may have been gone, but your paper trail wasn't. If Kira ever got his hands on that, he could use you to get to the rest of the Task Force. It would put your life in danger along with all the people you ever cared about. To keep your friends safe, both past and present, you would need to kill your paper trail.

Later that night, when most of the Task Force was asleep, you approached Watari.

*** * * July 2 * * ***

A week had passed since you asked Watari for his help. Kira had continued in his old pattern every day since then. You were currently standing at the back of the group as they watched the prisoners. The door creaked as it closed behind someone, drawing everyone's attention to it.

Watari had just walked in with a paper bag in his hands. "Robin, your badges are ready."

He walked up to you and handed over the bag. You peered inside to get a glimpse of your new fake Interpol IDs.

"One has your personal information on it and the other has your alias," he explained.

You thanked him before turning to face L.

"What are you planning to do?" the genius asked with a slightly annoyed tone.

You frowned before admitting, "I need to get rid of my paper trail, so I'm heading home for a bit. My flight leaves in about a week."

L was silent for a moment before nodding. "Very well, but you shouldn't go alone."

You furrowed your eyebrows. "That's a waste of resources, Ryuzaki."

"You need someone to protect you."

You clenched your fists and hissed, "I don't need anyone to protect me! What I need is to go back to my hometown to protect the people I care about by hiding my identity."

He narrowed his eyes. "The last time you were alone-"

"The last time I was alone, I was the most dangerous part of that stupid town other than a couple of schoolyard bullies!" you snapped. "Just let me do this, Ryuzaki."

There was a silence as you stared each other down, all eyes bouncing between the two of you, awaiting the great detective's response.

"Fine," he huffed, "but if you take more than two weeks, I will assume that you are attempting to break our contract and I will have you arrested."

You scowled. "That won't be necessary. You know that."

*** * * July 8 * * ***

Nearly a week had passed and you were in your room as you finished packing for the trip. The bedroom door opened and closed behind you, making you pause to investigate. You turned to see Mello standing there.

You frowned as he approached you before opting to look away from him. "If you're here to make another comment about Light, you should save it."

Mello sighed before telling you, "That's not why I'm here."

You furrowed your eyebrows, shocked at the soft tone in his voice, and turned to face him.

He took a step closer as he frowned. "It really sucked watching you have fun with him, especially since he hurt you in the end."

You looked to the side as you grumbled, "Why do you care anyway?"

He sighed before reminding you, "Look, I just really like you and I hate seeing you upset over shit."

You pursed your lips as you avoided eye contact. "I-I really don't have time to stay around. I have to get going."

There was a short silence before he asked, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Mello..." You sighed as you looked him in the eye. "I've done nothing but let other people protect me – you, Kira, even Light to a degree. Back before I started the To-Oh mission, Watari took me out and told me that I needed to get over my fears. You know what that turns into when you don't address it – just look at Near and Ryuzaki. I just... I need to do this."

He forced a grin as he nodded. "Hey, I get it now. Do what you have to do. Just be careful, alright?"

A sad smile tugged at the corners of your lips. "I will."

*** * * July 9 * * ***

Hidden in Japan, the current Kira ran their fingers through their hair. "I can't do this alone anymore. I need someone else."

Rem frowned. "If you aren't careful, you could be caught. Are you sure that you can trust her?"

Kira nodded. "Of course I am, but... what other choice do I have?"

"Just do it yourself."

Kira pursed their lips. "You wouldn't understand. Normal humans don't kill each other like this."

There was a short silence before the shinigami commented, "Do what you want. I will not stop you."

 

You arrived at your hometown early yesterday morning, exhausted. After taking the taxi to your hotel, you spent the rest of the day resting and planning. Unfortunately, you were unable to get a rental car for the course of your stay because you weren't old enough, but you were fine with walking this time around. Since it was a Sunday, the school wouldn't be open for you to retrieve your paper records from, but Kato should have deleted your electronic records, so it was less of a concern for now. Instead, your focus was on the orphanage you grew up in.

As you looked around at the scenery, you smiled. Everything was just as you remembered it being during this time of year. The further you went, the more run-down the town appeared. There were foreclosed houses for sale, unkempt lawns, and cracks all down the road.

Not much had really changed over the past few years.

The nicest building in your field of vision was situated on the corner of the street surrounded by a tall fence. You could see a decently-sized yard in the back with a sandbox and a small swing set. A few children were running around and playing as an older man monitored them. Recognizing the place, you turned into the gates and walked up to the front entrance. 

You knocked and waited a few moments before a woman in her early forties answered the door. She had curly brown hair loosely tied behind her neck and a face full of freckles.

The woman smiled at you. "Welcome to the Sacred Heart orphanage. How can I help y-" Her eyes went wide as she called out your name in a disbelieving tone.

You forced a smile as you nodded.

Your old caretaker put her hands to her mouth before smiling at you. "You got so big. I never expected you to come back." Her eyes landed on the faint scar on your cheek. "Still getting into fights, I see."

You frowned. "That wasn't from... nevermind."

Carol raised an eyebrow. "So, why did you come back?" 

"I'm here on business."

She nodded before leading you into the building and up to the front desk.

After taking her place behind it, she asked, "What can I help you with?"

"I'm here to retrieve my records."

The brunette furrowed her eyebrows. "Mr. Wammy was given your records after he adopted you. You should take your request up with him."

"I know, but I need the originals too," you told her.

Carol frowned. "Those records are property of the orphanage. I can't legally hand them over."

You pursed your lips for a few moments before sighing. "Okay, but please take care not to give them out to anyone. This is for the safety of the orphanage. If someone asks about it, you need to deny any knowledge of me."

She hesitated for a moment as her brows furrowed. "O...kay..."

"Thank you."

With that, you apologized for taking up her time, and left. One target down, one to go. L really was being overly dramatic when he made that scene about you taking more than two weeks. You would be done and back in Japan within a few days, depending on the availability of flights.

As you passed a playground that you used to frequent as a child, you heard a feminine voice call out your name. You froze and turned around only to be tackled in a flash of red hair. She quickly pulled away and smiled as you stood up straight.

You raised an eyebrow at her. "Melinda?"

The blue-eyed girl nodded her head vigorously. "I missed you so much!"

You looked to the side as Kato finally caught up with her. He leaned over to take a breath before waving at you.

Tears welled up in your eyes as you smiled at your friends. "I missed you guys too."

There was a brief silence before Kato furrowed his eyebrows. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here on business," you explained. "But I got today's work done if... if you guys want to hang out?"

Melinda smiled brightly as she jumped up and down. "Yeah! We can go to the diner. Come on, I'll drive!"

She gestured for everyone to follow her as she bolted down the street. After exchanging glances with Kato, the two of you raced after her. Once you finally reached her car, the three of you piled into her sedan and drove off.

The diner was just as you remembered: black and white tiled floors, red leather booths, pictures of famous rock'n'rollers plastered along the walls, and a jukebox in the corner playing the tunes of the oldies. Your group of friends used to frequent the diner often when you were younger. The food was great and Melinda absolutely loved the vintage atmosphere.

You sat down in a booth across from Kato and Melinda. The waitress was quick to take your orders and bring your drinks out. 

You smiled awkwardly at your friends. "So... how are things?"

Melinda smiled. "Everything's going great! Kato's totally going to be the class valedictorian. He's going to MIT and I'm going to go to this nice school in California."

"She probably already knows that since she's paying for it," Kato reminded her before turning to you. "Anyway, you know how you wanted me to get rid of any photos of you on the internet?"

You furrowed your eyebrows in concern as the Japanese teen reached into his pocket and started going through his phone. "My cousin posted something I thought you should see."

He handed it to you.

Pictured on the screen was a photo of you, Light, Kai, and Kiyomi all sitting down in class. You and Light were the furthest from the camera, both looking up at the professor. Kiyomi was next to you, looking down at her notebook. Kai was in the corner of the shot, smiling at the camera as he took the picture.

The description that he posted with the photo was written in Japanese. "Psych buddies! Me, Kiyomi<3, Light, and Robin sitting through another lecture."

You smiled to yourself as you recalled the fun moments in class with the group. A few moments passed before you frowned, realizing that Kato would undoubtedly have questions. 

As you returned his phone, Kato explained, "I removed the pictures he posted. There were quite a few of them." He frowned before asking, "What's going on?"

You sighed. "It was an undercover mission. I can't tell you anything until we solve the case."

The black-haired teen pursed his lips as he looked down and nodded.

A painful silence washed over the group before Melinda smiled and changed the subject. "Kato has a cool program that impressed MIT, so they gave him a bigger scholarship."

You raised an eyebrow. "What does it do?"

"It predicts stock changes based on specified external influences," Kato explained. "It's far from perfect, though, since it can only handle one company at a time and consider fifteen events at most. The testing has shown 97% accuracy so far, though."

"Wow, that's pretty neat." You smiled. "But, I'm surprised that it's related to the stock market of all things. I didn't know-" You winced before amending your word choice. "I thought you didn't find that interesting."

He glanced away. "I don't, but I was bored in my economics class."

You smiled to yourself before asking, "So, what are you guys going to school for?"

Kato lit up as he explained, "I'm hoping to one day build a quantum computer, so I'm double majoring in Computer Engineering and Physics."

You couldn't help but laugh. "Why am I not surprised? I'm sure you'll do great." You turned to Melinda. "What about you?"

She grinned as she leaned across the table. "Guess!"

You pursed your lips for a few moments before suggesting, "Astronomy?"

"Yeah!"

"That's great! Are you going to play softball there too?"

"Mhmm~!" She grinned as she half-jumped out of her seat. "Oh! Guess who caught the out that won the championship~?"

"Congratulations!" You smiled at your friends. "Did anything else interesting happen this year?"

Melinda grinned slyly as she told you, "Kato danced with someone at prom~!"

The young man's cheeks flushed a bright red as he tried to cover his face. 

You laughed. "I'm surprised. You hate dancing. Who was it?"

Kato sighed as he removed his hands. "Jason Smith."

Your previously happy expression disappeared as you immediately frowned and furrowed your eyebrows. "Jason Smith as in the guy who used to pick on you? That Jason Smith?"

"Yeah," he mumbled before looking up at you. "He came up to me and we had a long talk. Basically, he apologized for everything he put me through those couple of years. Then he asked me to dance with him during the king and queen slow dance."

"Jason even dipped him," Melinda chimed in.

Kato smiled awkwardly. "Yeah, it was a bit scary and embarrassing. I kept stepping on his feet too." 

You sighed. "Alright. Just... be careful."

He blushed again. "We're not dating or anything. It was just a one night thing. I don't dislike him anymore, though." 

After you all finished your meals and paid the bill, Melinda smiled at you. "Kato and I got you something for your birthday. It's at my house."

The Japanese teen frowned. "It was really just you. I didn't have the money to-"

"You helped pick it out, so you got it too," she insisted as the three of you piled into her car again. "Anyway, we're just going to stop by for a minute so I can grab it, then we'll head to the treehouse."

A few minutes passed as Melinda rushed to her house and haphazardly parked in the driveway. You and Kato followed the energetic teen into the front room.

"Mom, I just stopped by to grab something," she called out before announcing that you were there too.

As your friend disappeared, you heard her mother call out your name in curiosity. She emerged from the other room and smiled upon seeing you.

She walked up and gave you a brief motherly hug. "It's so good to see you again. How was your trip?" 

You smiled brightly and hugged her back. "It was great. I met lots of amazing people while I was gone, but I'm just visiting for now."

"It's good to have you back for now, hun," Melinda's mom smiled before returning to the kitchen.

You noticed a young teen with spiky red hair peeking around the doorway.

You laughed slightly. "Is that Aiden I see?"

Melinda's brother blushed fiercely as he stepped out into the open and stuttered your name.

"Wow, you got so much taller. How old are you now?" you asked.

"F-Fourteen," he answered.

Melinda walked down the stairs as her brother shouted out to you, "D-Do you have a boyfriend yet?!"

The elder sibling groaned. "Aiden! Leave us alone."

He huffed and folded his arms. "I was just about to, sheesh!"

He stormed into his room as Melinda tugged you back out to the car. She drove a short distance to the abandoned lot where you had built the treehouse as children. You smiled up at it as you remembered how much fun you had putting it together. There was a short ladder leading up the tree to the entrance just above your heads. Once inside, you found that it was much smaller than you remembered, but there was just enough room for the three of you if you all sat.

Melinda turned on the lamps before reaching into her purse and pulling out a small wrapped box.

She smiled as she handed it to you. "Happy birthday!"

You tore through the wrapping paper and peered inside the tiny box. A pristine heart greeted you, the light from the lamps glistening off the silver. You gently pulled it from the box and noticed the necklace chain that followed. You smiled softly as you traced the edges with your finger, stopping at what appeared to be a latch.

"It's a locket," Melinda explained. "Open it up."

You carefully flipped the latch and opened the heart, revealing the inside. On the left half, there was an engraved message.

> _"Best Friends Forever."_

On the right was a small picture of the three of you, taken from that time when there was a photo booth at the mall. You had to convince Kato to cooperate, but he eventually decided that it would be better to go willingly than to have Melinda drag him in there. You sat in the middle as you smiled softly. Melinda smiled brightly at the camera while Kato's smile was visibly more reluctant.

Melinda softly explained, "It's so you can always remember us, even when we can't talk to you." She reached down her shirt and pulled out a matching necklace as she smiled at you and Kato. "Even when we're apart, I'll always be thinking of you guys." You closed the locket and put it around your neck as she added, "I know it's an old picture, since we're, like, twelve in it, but it's the last picture we took together where you were really yourself."

The painful silence returned as you frowned. You knew that you had stopped paying your friends much attention when you became Robin Hood, but you never meant to hurt them like you did.

Surprisingly, Kato was the first to speak up.

"At first, I tried to convince myself that your behavior was just hormone-related because that's what happened to my cousin, Hana." He sighed and looked up at you. "I figured it out along the way. Your mood swings all matched up to Robin Hood's activities and your arrest coincided with Robin Hood's disappearance." He paused for a moment as he pursed his lips and furrowed his eyebrows. "And between Kai's pictures and Robin Hood taking on Kira, I know that you're working on tracking him down, probably with L." Frustration was clear in his voice as his bottom lip began to quiver. "I just want official confirmation from you after all these years of lying. _Please."_

You sighed as you looked down. "I can never apologize enough to make up for what happened. I know that I really screwed up our friendship and the lives of the people I tried to help as Robin Hood." You looked up at him. "I'm making a new difference by working for L now, but I still regret what happened. I neglected our friendship, and I don't deserve what you both give me now, but I'm incredibly thankful for it."

Melinda's eyes went wide. "Wait. Why would you go against Kira?"

Kato cringed and looked away. Meanwhile, you pursed your lips and did the same, unwilling to start another argument.

She glanced around, flustered as she argued, "He saved you from Beyond Birthday!"

You sighed. "I know, Mel... and I'm glad he did, but..." You glanced away. "Well, sometimes he kills innocent people. Besides, I have to do what L says – it's non-negotiable."

She furrowed her eyebrows. "T-That doesn't make any sense. Why would he kill innocent people?"

"Alright, enough," Kato sternly commanded. "We should just drop the topic so we don't start arguing about it again."

Melinda pouted and folded her arms. "Fine, but why was I the last person to know about this?"

"I figured it out myself," he explained. "She told us that Kira killed Beyond Birthday with a heart attack, but his official cause of death was blood loss. Also, she asked us not to use her name when we talk about her, and Kira clearly uses names and faces to somehow kill people." He looked to you. "And your undercover mission was probably with one of the suspects, who already knows your face, but thinks your name is Robin."

You couldn't help but chuckle. "Sometimes I forget just how smart you are. How did you have time to figure that out and still do so well in school?"

"It really wasn't that hard."

You looked to the side and noticed Melinda was sitting there with her eyes widened in fear, though she wasn't looking at anything in particular. What was she so afraid of suddenly?

Your eyes went wide as you came to a realization. "Mel? Did you use my real name?"

Tears spilled from her eyes as she began to tremble. "I-I'm s-so sorry!"

You frowned. "Hey, it's okay. Who did you tell?"

"I-It was someone online," she told you through sobs. "O-On a Kira supporter site. I-I thanked him f-for killing B-Beyond Birthday," she sucked in a breath, "a-and someone asked for it."

You felt your stomach sour as you reached out to her. "Melinda, it's not your fault. You couldn't have known. Besides, the person we thought it was definitely isn't Kira. I'm not really at any real risk unless he decides to physically come out here to find me, but even then it would be you guys who are more in danger. This is actually why I came here in the first place – to hide what paper records could endanger you."

The redhead sniffled as she wiped her tears. "Y-You're sure it's okay?"

You nodded as you flashed her a comforting smile. "Yes. Don't worry about it, okay?"

She sniffled again. "O-Okay."

Kato asked, "How long will you be staying?"

"Not much longer – maybe another few days," you told him. "It depends on how soon I can get a ticket back."

He nodded before checking his watch. "It's getting late. We still have school tomorrow, so we should get going. I guess we'll see you around?"

"Yeah."

Kato descended from the old treehouse as Melinda wrapped her arms around you and bid her goodbyes. With that, she followed him out. You heard the engine roar as they drove away.

 

The moon was high when you finally made it back to the hotel, and you were beyond exhausted from the day you had. You sunk into the couch as you leaned your head back. You sat there with the TV playing in front of you. After aimlessly flipping through the channels, you decided to stop on the local news station as they spoke about a high profile criminal who had just been arrested in the nearest city. Your mind wandered back to a similar instance in your own life back when you were fifteen years old.

A yawn escaped your lips as your heavy eyelids began to fall, long ignored memories playing out in your mind's eye.

**-:-**

You and Kato were sitting in the silent room with a handful of other students who had been served after school detention that day. It was a good thing that there were multiple detention rooms, or you and Jason probably would have gone at it again. You absentmindedly rubbed the gauze on your hands as you stared at your desk, guilt leaking through your usual numb consciousness. Glancing to the front of the room, you could see that the proctor wasn't paying much attention to the students – most of them being regulars here. Kato was sitting beside you as he pursed his lips and stared down at his desk, ignoring the bruises that Jason had given him that day.

Rage bubbled up inside you – the same one that provoked you to hack – as you leaned in and hoarsely whispered, "Why didn't you tell me that he was picking on you?"

Kato's eyes narrowed as he quietly snapped back, "You would have know if you paid any attention to me or Melinda anymore." His gaze remained pointed down. "You don't care about anyone but yourself; it's like you're just an emotionless robot. You go to school. You don't pay attention to anything going on around you. You go home."

Your eyebrow twitched as you hissed, "I _do_ care! I've just been busy."

"Busy doing what?" he grumbled.

"Be quiet!" the teacher roared.

A few minutes passed before your temper faded.

You lowered your voice as you asked, "How long has this been going on?"

Kato glanced away and hesitated before admitting, "It started last year."

Your shoulders drooped as the weight of his words hit you. "That long? Why didn't you-"

"I did tell you, but you weren't paying attention," he retorted before his tone became softer. "Melinda has been trying to help, but you know how she is..."

You frowned. "I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to ignore you. I've just been-"

"Busy. I know."

You opened your mouth, but were silenced by the only adult in the room. "This is your final warning! Stop talking or you will be issued detention for tomorrow too."

You froze and nodded before glancing to Kato, who was looking away.

 

Several weeks had passed since the incident. You were trying to get more involved in your friends' lives again, but it was difficult to balance that with school and your work as Robin Hood. One of those would have to go, and it certainly wasn't going to be your friends or justice. Ever since your detention, you had been behind schedule in your hacks. You planned to go straight to your room once you got back to the orphanage to try to catch up. The moment you stepped inside, Carol blocked your path.

You were about to step around your caretaker when you caught the expression on her face – her anxiety and worry showing through as she asked, "Did you do anything that would get you into trouble lately?"

Even her tone hid her nerves poorly, setting off alarms in your mind.

You narrowed your eyes as you told her, "No."

The brunette tightened her lips into a thin line. "That's... that's not what the officers said."

Your eyes shot wide open as you tensed and took a step back. On cue, two agents walked in, one on either side of you as they said your full name.

"You're under arrest. Come willingly or we will use force."

You pursed your lips as you contemplated your options. The door was behind you – you could easily make a break for it, but that would make your true identity obvious. Odds are, being much younger than these two, you would be able to escape, but where would you go? Carol knew everywhere you would go to hide, and they would just get that information from her. You tried to keep your expression neutral as you complied.

 

Hours later you found yourself in an isolated room, your wrists chained to the table as you sat there in silence. Occasionally you glanced to the camera in the corner and the speaker next to it, but nothing had been said the entire time you were here. You had no doubt in your mind that L was on the other side, ready to mock you for winning the game.

At some point, L's poorly scrambled voice called out through the speakers, detailing every piece of evidence that led him to locating you.

"Now with you in custody, if you are Robin Hood, the hacks will stop. Of course, that already happened when you served detention," he gloated. "Hmm... I wonder, what was that fight about?"

You narrowed your eyes as you mentally cursed yourself for intervening that day. The details were included on your permanent records – he had to know exactly what happened, but he was showing off his power. He had won, and he wanted you to admit it, but you couldn't do anything to stop him.

Grudgingly, you told him, "Someone was picking on my friend. I had to stop him."

Despite the computer edits to his voice, you could still hear his teasing tone. "Interesting. You know, that fits Robin Hood's behavior perfectly."

You pursed your lips as you remained silent, ignoring his attempts at interrogating you. Not that it mattered – if he didn't already have everything he needed, your behavior was probably enough to throw you in prison. No matter what you said or did, it would only incriminate you more. As much as you hated to admit it, you had lost, and you would have to deal with the consequences.

What you never expected was for L to cut a deal with you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading. I have to say, I'm taking a huge risk with this story within the next few chapters. I'm a bit nervous about how it will be received, but I know that it's the path that makes the most sense for this set of characters. Anyway, this isn't what I was just talking about, but there will be a bit of an experimental narrative sequence in part of the next chapter. I'm hoping that you'll all enjoy that too.


	21. Bedlam

*** * * July 10 * * ***

Back in Japan, Rem watched on as Kira explained everything to the woman they chose to ask for help. When they were finished, Kira nervously wrung their hangs in an attempt to wave off the silence.

Finally, the woman laughed before commenting in a velvet voice, "That's a funny joke, dear, but you'll have to prove it." She turned and started to walk away as she added, "But you can't do it, can you?"

Kira tensed as their eyes widened and they called out, "No, wait! Who do you want me to kill?"

The woman smirked.

 

One day had passed since you ran into your friends. Come noon, you were already on your way to your next destination. Truth be told, you could easily run into them again because you were headed to your old high school to get your physical records. During your trek across town, you caught a glimpse of the playground you used to frequent as a child. You smiled as memories of sneaking out and stargazing with Melinda surfaced in your mind.

When you made it onto school grounds, you made a beeline straight for the front office. Inside, there were several desks and a few back rooms, but surprisingly only one other person was present. A middle-aged woman looked up at you from behind her desk and furrowed her eyebrows – her eyes and tightly pursed lips showing an unease that prompted your eyebrows to fall just the same.

She warily addressed you. "Miss, I... I think you should be in class now." She leaned away nervously. "The police don't want anyone, um... contaminating the crime scene."

Crime scene? Just what was going on in your otherwise sleepy town?

You slowly reached into your pocket and pulled out the Interpol badge that Watari had etched your name into. "I'm not a student here anymore, but I am from Interpol and happened to be in town when I noticed an influx of officers heading here. I'm here to offer my help."

"O-Oh..."

You handed her the badge so she could verify your words. She hesitated before taking it and scrutinizing it. Whatever happened had to be bad to bring the normally professional secretary to act this way. Her shoulders relaxed somewhat before she handed it back. You returned the fake to your pocket and watched as she turned and reached for the intercom, but she hesitated for a moment before pulling her hand back.

She stood as she told you, "I-I'll just bring you to them."

You nodded, careful not to move too quickly and frighten her as she stepped around the desk and began leading you down the familiar hallways. As you neared the old gymnasium, you saw bright yellow police tape blocking off the hallway and frowned.

The secretary brought you as far as the tape before calling out to the nearest officer, "Um... excuse me, officer?"

He turned and glanced between the two of you with furrowed brows. "Yes, Ma'am?"

She gestured to you, "This young woman has offered to assist the investigation."

Another man overheard and made his way over – the head of the investigation, if you could guess anything from your prior experience.

He frowned as he told you, "This isn't the type of case we can take just anyone to help on – especially teenagers with no experience."

"Well, your second concern isn't an issue here," you explained as you pulled out the badge with your alias on it. "You can call me Robin. I'm a representative agent for Eraldo Coil. I happened to be in town when I saw the influx of officers heading here. I just wanted to offer my assistance, if needed."

He furrowed his eyebrows. "This is a homicide, not a missing persons case."

Your heart stopped as you thought to your friends. "That's not all we do."

The officer thought for a moment before nodding his head. "Alright. Come on over."

He thanked the secretary as you stepped under the police tape before walking you through the hoards of officers and explaining, "This town isn't known for its violent crimes. In fact, this is the first homicide that anyone here has encountered on the job. We could use someone with your experience to go through this."

He led you to the boys' locker room as he explained, "The coroner's office took the body away, but we're still processing the scene."

Inside, you found yourself staring at the mess left behind. A pool of blood where the body was. Spatter on the walls around it. Student belongings haphazardly scattered across the room, some painted red. The scene of Beyond's mess flashed before your eyes and you tensed. Your heart began to race as you saw him behind you in that photograph again. Taking a deep breath, you closed your eyes.

What would Mello do in this situation?

Well, he would probably get emotional, angry, and treat it very personally – he always seemed to do that when it came to homicides. But in doing so, you could easily let important details slip by.

What would Near do?

He would detach himself from the situation so that he can think objectively. You flashed back to your fight with Jason Smith before you were arrested. The last time you made yourself so emotionally numb, you went down a dark path. You couldn't let that happen again. Still, you needed to do whatever you could to bring closure to the victim's family – whoever it was. Perhaps a mix of these methods would suit your needs best.

You opened your eyes again as you returned to reality. "What details do you have so far?"

"The victim was a boy who was going to graduate this year," the head detective told you. "According to the student ID on his person, his name was Cesar Andino – we just sent officers out to inform the next of kin. His student records tell us that he and his family came to town about two years ago. He was apparently known for being quiet, but picking fights with people."

"So the obvious suspect would be one of those people."

He nodded. "We looked over the video surveillance of the entrances to the locker room and have determined who was inside during the crime. It was during class, so the number is thankfully small. We should have them all down at the station now for questioning. You can help by listening in on these interrogations – with Coil's experience, you should be able to stay more rational about the situation than most of the rest of us, I'm afraid to say."

You nodded and glanced to the name on his uniform. "I won't let you down, Detective McKinley."

 

Three people had been brought to the police station and were undergoing questioning. You were standing behind the one-way mirror that blocked allowed you to see into the interrogation room, but kept those inside from seeing you. The first suspect was a middle-aged man with a rugged face who was dressed in gym shorts and a polo.

The officer stepped inside and took his seat across the table. "Hello. I'm Officer Strauss, and I'm just going to ask you a few questions. Let's start with something simple. State your name, age, and profession."

The man shifted in his seat before saying, "My name is Leonard Horton. I'm forty-five years old, and I'm a gym teacher and the rugby coach at the high school."

"Thank you." He took notes. "Now, Mr. Horton, Cesar Andino's class schedule indicates that he was in physical education class at the time of his murder, but he was in the locker room with you instead. What can you tell me about that?"

Leonard Horton folded his arms as he began his explanation, his voice shaking somewhat. "Cesar had a migraine and was going to go to the nurse for it. He couldn't play worth a damn, so I decided to let him go. I let him into the locker room to go change."

"And why did you stay?"

He scowled. "Are you accusin' me of doing it?! I only found him there after I got outta my office. Students aren't allowed inside unless there's a teacher in there."

"I see. And what about those other two boys in the locker room? Did you let them in too?"

Horton hesitated as he glanced away. "Uh... no. They must've come in through the other door. The one inside the gym is always locked, but sometimes we leave the one in the hall unlocked so kids can use the showers."

Officer Strauss nodded. "I see. Please continue."

"Like I was sayin', there were two other boys in the locker room at the time. When I found Cesar, one boy stepped out from the showers and acted like he didn't know what was going on." He narrowed his eyes and leaned forward as he told the officer, "That boy should be your main suspect. He was probably washing off the blood on him and just tryin' to act surprised. He's a weird kid anyway."

You pursed your lips as you listened in. _That makes sense, but witnesses are always unreliable. We need to hear from the others first – especially the boy from the showers._

 

Next in line was the student he was accusing of murder. The teen took a deep breath to calm his nerves, evidenced by his shaking body and paler than usual face. You tightened your lips into a thin line as the officer stepped inside and began the routine again.

"Hello. I'm Officer Strauss, and I'm just going to ask you a few questions. Let's start with something simple. State your name, age, and profession."

The teen nodded before telling him, "M-My name is Kato Nakamura. I'm eighteen years old, and I'm a high school student, but I work part time at Shop Mart as a cashier to help save money for college."

"Thank you." He took notes. "Your class schedule indicates that you had lunch at the time of Mr. Andino's murder. Why were you in the locker room across the school?"

"My friend spilled juice a-all over me in the lunch room," your friend explained. "I-I decided to skip lunch so I could shower a-and change into fresh clothes."

"I see. Now tell me what happened when you discovered the body."

He nodded. "I had just gotten out of the shower when I heard a scream. It sounded like there was an argument before that, but I couldn't hear what was said. I was worried that someone was being attacked, so I ran out to help." He sucked in a breath as he began to tremble. "That was... T-That was when I s-saw him there. I-I don't know what happened. I-It looked so bad – l-like he was beaten multiple times. W-Why didn't I hear it?" He took a deep breath and ran his hands through his hair as he tried to fight back tears. "I-I'm sorry. I think I'm okay now." He thought for a moment. "I saw Mr. Horton, one of the gym teachers, next to the body. He looked horrified. There was someone else shaking behind the lockers, but I didn't talk to him."

"I see. You know, I spoke with Mr. Horton before." Kato's shoulders drooped before the officer continued, "He thinks that you're the one who killed Mr. Andino. Why do you think he said that?"

Kato tightened his lips into a thin line as he furrowed his eyebrows. "He always blames me for everything."

"And why is that?"

The teen hesitated for a moment before sighing. "He has made it fairly clear that he thinks I'm a freak for being gay. He's the only person who gives me any issues about it anymore."

You frowned. You knew Kato well enough to know that he would never commit such a heinous crime – especially when he doesn't support Robin Hood or Kira – but you had to treat this like any other investigation.

 

Officer Strauss straightened his papers as he asked, "Now, you made a comment about Mr. Nakamura that stood out to me. What did you mean when you said that he was a weird kid?"

Veins popped out of Horton's neck as his face burned red and he ranted, "He's just an unnatural freak – brought here by the devil to test me. He poisoned my star player, Jason Smith, and now he's one of those freaks like him!"

The officer pursed his lips and nodded his head as he wrote him off as highly biased and unreliable. "I see. Now, there was a third student in the locker room at this time. What do you know about him?"

 

A blond boy avoided eye contact with Officer Strauss as he told him, "My name is Cole Winters. I'm sixteen, and I'm just a student."

"Thank you." The officer took notes before pointing out, "You seem nervous. Why is that?"

Cole glanced up at him as he commented, "W-Well, I _did_ see a dead body today. A-And now I'm being interrogated, s-so I'm probably a suspect."

"Well, Mr. Winters, you can relax," Officer Strauss began. "You're just here to tell me what you saw, okay?"

He cracked a nervous smile and nodded. "R-Right, of course. Sorry. Everyone has been kind of on edge lately – this just isn't helping."

"Interesting. So, Mr. Winters, tell me why you were in the locker room."

 

"What can you tell me about Cole Winters?"

Horton snorted. "He's not a sporty type – one of those kids who fakes injuries to get out of class. He needs to man up, like Cesar is – was."

You narrowed your eyes. Mr. Horton seemed to like the victim, but clearly disliked both of the other suspects.

 

"I twisted my ankle playing kickball with the class and came inside to ice it," Cole explained.

Officer Strauss nodded. "Let me see your ankles."

The boy tensed as he argued, "W-Why do you want me to do that? Y-You don't trust me, do you?"

"Calm down, Mr. Winters, I just need to verify your story with physical evidence."

"Oh... okay..."

The teen complied, confirming his swollen ankle with the officer.

 

"How do you know the victim?" the officer asked. "What sort of relationship did you have?"

Kato explained, "I didn't really interact with Cesar often. He tried to sucker-punch me once, but I defended myself and he never seemed to bother with me again." He furrowed his brows as he thought for a few moments. "It was weird when it happened, though. I've been bullied many times before that, but this instance was completely different. His behavior... it was almost animal-like. He didn't taunt me or anything. He just grunted and swung."

"Interesting. And what about Cole Winters?"

"I saw him getting picked on in the halls a few times and stopped it, but he never really talked to me," he told the officer. "Cole always seems nervous whenever I see him, but I can understand that when you're a victim of bullying."

 

After the interrogations, Officer Strauss told you, "Mr. Horton seems unreliable, but he still could have done it – they all could have."

You nodded. "We need other character witnesses to see whose story is most accurate, starting with the school nurse."

 

Upon your request, she was brought in. She was an older woman with wrinkles around her face that could only be caused by frequent smiling, but as she sat there at the table, a soft frown tugged at the corners of her lips.

"My name is Aiyana Abbott. I'm fifty-eight years old, and I am the school nurse at the high school."

Officer Strauss nodded. "Now, what can you tell me about Cesar Andino?"

"Oh, I saw him often," she told him. "He frequently came to my office complaining of headaches. He was always short-tempered, though, and he never said much."

"I see. And what about Kato Nakamura?"

Aiyana smiled. "Oh, he's such a sweet boy – always trying to help out the younger students. He would never hurt a fly. And so smart too."

"Interesting. What can you tell me about Cole Winters?"

"I can't say that I know the name."

The officer took down a few notes. "Interesting. Mr. Horton said that he often faked injuries to get out of class."

The nurse scowled. "I would hardly blame the boy if that were true. Leonard is the biggest bully in the school – I gladly give out passes for students to leave his class if they're targeted by him. That man shouldn't be allowed to work in a school if he just wants to ruin the lives of children."

A red flag waved itself in your mind. Maybe he was just trying to set up Kato or Cole for the murder, both of whom he clearly disliked. Still, you needed physical evidence to corroborate with this theory. So far there hadn't been many contradictions within the interrogations, but what stood out most to you was the odd behavior of the victim that they all described. Maybe the cadaver would hold more information that could explain this – though, your stomach churned at the thought.

*** * * July 13 * * ***

The moon was high over Japan as Kira allowed their new accomplice to touch the Death Note, revealing Rem. The woman tensed for a brief moment before looking over the shinigami and relaxing. A few moments passed before she pressed herself against Kira, putting her hand on their back and stroking Kira's face with the other.

"I'm so sorry that I doubted you, honey," she purred, "but something like this is so fantastical that it's just hard to believe. Forgive me?"

Kira's lips twitched into a smile as the woman sent pleasurable chills down their spine. "O-Of course."

"Oh, thank you, baby," she cooed. "Now, I do have a plan. We just need a scapegoat – and I have one in mind that I think you'll be pleased with."

"W-Wait, I don't want to get anyone else in trouble."

The woman pouted. "It's him or you, dear. I think the company would be much better off without him, don't you?"

"I..." Kira glanced away. "Well, if I had to choose..."

_"Good."_ She put her finger under their chin, drawing their faces near. "Just leave everything to me. Together, we will turn this situation into something we can _both_ benefit from."

 

It took you a long time to will yourself to look at the photos. The one in your hands now depicted the crime scene shortly after Cesar's body was taken away. Nearest to the pool of blood where he once laid were a baseball bat and a folded metal chair. The bat was leaning against the wall, the hilt on the floor. There was a significant amount of blood spattered all over the barrel and the wall beside it. Next to that potential weapon, the chair was propped upside down against the wall. Opposite the pattern on the bat, only the top of the chair – the part closest to the floor – had blood on it.

As you carefully scrutinized the image, you noticed that the spatter marks on the wall around them only matched those on the bat. Your eyes widened as you realized that the chair must have been moved from its original location, possibly even being the murder weapon.

You jumped up as you announced to the nearby officers, "Fingerprints on the chair should belong to the murderer. Even if he didn't kill Cesar with it, he still had to move it to get the spattering we see here."

One of the officers ran out to retrieve the fingerprints while the other went in to get samples from each of the three suspects. Meanwhile, you moved to the next photo: a close-up of Cesar's face. The blood hadn't even dried by the time the photo was taken, covering half of his face as his body laid there. His mouth was ajar and his jacket was opened just enough that you could see the skin on his neck. You narrowed your eyes and furrowed your eyebrows upon noticing a few peculiarities in the image. The first was a thin black line on the margin between his teeth and gums. While you certainly weren't an expert in oral hygiene, you were sure that the marking was abnormal. The second abnormality was the cluster of long bruises around his neck. They were clear strangulation marks, but why would the murderer strangle him if he beat him to death?

Pursing your lips, you turned back to his jacket. It had a high collar – one that could easily be used to hide the marks if they had been there for a while. You narrowed your eyes as you realized that maybe the murder wasn't all there was to this mystery.

You stood and made your way to the interrogation rooms. Officer Strauss was outside, talking with the man who had just taken the fingerprints of all the suspects. As that officer ran off to compare them with the prints found on the chair, the interrogation expert turned to you.

"Robin, did you find anything else?"

You nodded as you showed the image to him. "Strangulation marks. We should check the suspects for any retaliation scratches, but I think that it may have occurred before his murder."

 

Neither the gym teacher nor Kato had any marks to indicate they they strangled Cesar. Officer Strauss was in with Cole as he did a final check over the boy. After finding nothing, he thanked Cole for his cooperation. The teen nodded briefly before glancing away. As Officer Strauss was leaving him again, two officers raced over, stepping into the room. Strauss scowled and Cole nervously took his seat again.

Before the more senior officer could berate them, one explained, "We checked the fingerprints on the chair." The teen froze. "They belong to Cole Winters. He moved the chair that was used to kill Cesar Andino."

Officer Strauss turned to the boy. "Explain to me again. What were you doing in the locker room?"

Cole glanced between the three officers in the room before going hysterical. "I'm sorry! I was just trying to protect myself. I-I was hiding in the locker room so Mr. Horton couldn't pick on me, b-but I hid when he came in with Cesar. M-Mr. Horton went into his office, and Cesar saw me. H-He looked at me real funny and j-just came at me. He's a lot bigger than me, so I panicked. I-I grabbed the chair a-and just started... _beating him._ I-I don't know what came over me."

Officer Strauss frowned. "You do realize that you murdered him, don't you? Whether you planned it or not, you're going to be in prison for years for what you did."

"I-I know!" Cole sobbed. "I-I'm sorry. I wish I could take it all back. I-I'm so sorry!"

Standing outside the room, you frowned as you listened in. You may have found the killer, but there was much more to this mystery than just that. Whoever tried to strangle Cesar was still out there, and you couldn't just let this person get away with it too. L may have threatened you with a time limit, but you would be damned if you didn't stay to figure this out. With a newfound determination, you set out to go over the evidence again.


	22. Retaliation

*** * * July 15 * * ***

Several days had passed since Cole Winters confessed to the murder of Cesar Andino. Further witness testimonies showed that he always wore that collared jacket, even in the warmest months. This strangulation must have been a recurring event, and the natural first place to go would be an abuse situation. You and one of the other officers, Officer Conan, had just pulled up to the Andino household to question his parents.

You recognized this as one of the poorer areas of the town, close enough to the orphanage that you often walked back from school through this neighborhood. As you stepped outside and made your way up to the door with Officer Conan, you noticed paint chipping on the outside of the old house. You hesitated for a moment before reaching to your belt and shutting off your radio – it would be rude if the device went off in the middle of talking to the grieving couple. Once that was done, you knocked. A few minutes passed and no one answered. You furrowed your brows before turning to the man beside you.

Taking your cue, he stepped up and loudly rapped against the door before announcing, "Police. It's Officer Conan – I spoke to you a few days ago about your son. I know it's a difficult time for your family, but we need to speak to you."

A few moments passed before a man answered the door. He looked sickly and couldn't even will himself make eye contact, but you could easily see the puffiness surrounding his red eyes. From this alone he didn't seem like the type to abuse his son, but you knew all too well from previous cases that people could fake emotions to avoid getting caught.

He sniffled before stepping aside and mumbling, "I'm sorry. Please, come in."

You followed behind Conan as he stepped inside and asked to speak to both Mr. Andino and his wife. Cesar's father was still before nodding lethargically and bringing you both to the front room where he joined his wife on the couch. You and Conan took the seats across from them and exchanged glances before moving on.

"I'm so sorry about your son," you began. "We found something unusual in the case, though. Do you mind if we ask you a few questions about him?"

"Okay."

You thought back to the odd coloration above his teeth. "How was his dental hygiene? Did he often eat anything that could have died his teeth black – maybe something with black food coloring in it?"

His mother furrowed her eyebrows. "No, but..." A nostalgic smile tugged at her lips. "He has had this odd habit of eating non-food items ever since he was little. We tried to break him out of it, but we were never successful."

Her husband let out an amused snort before hoarsely commenting, "We actually caught him eating paper just a few weeks ago. H-He was such a good kid."

Sobs wracked his body as his wife just gently held his hand, clearly not doing much better herself. There was no way these people abused their son, but you still had to ask.

Changing tides slightly, Officer Conan pointed out, "Your son has been written up for his behavior frequently in this school system. Has this always been an issue?"

Mrs. Andino sighed. "No, only since we moved here. I think he was upset about leaving his friends behind."

Tears began to well up in her eyes and you glanced to Officer Conan. There really wouldn't be a good time to bring this up, would there?

You took a deep breath before warily telling Cesar's parents, "We found bruises on your son's neck, indicating that someone tried to choke him long before he was attacked at the school. Other witnesses have pointed out that he always wore a jacket to conceal these marks... indicating abuse."

Both adults' eyes went wide, but the father was the first to speak in a horrified tone. "H-How could you say such a thing? We never touched him like that! W-We didn't even use physical force to discipline him as a child."

You frowned. "I understand, Mr. Andino, but the bruises were the size of adult male fingers and indicate that this was a chronic issue. We have to look into this."

He paled as his shoulders drooped and tears began to accumulate in his eyes again as he whispered, "Why didn't he tell me?" He put his head in his hands as he began to sob again, "Oh God. Why?"

You remained silent as Mrs. Andino began to break down too. This was clearly the first either parent had heard about Cesar's abuse.

When they finally calmed down, you continued in a gentle, but serious tone. "Whoever did this to your son could be doing this to others too. There are likely other boys in the same situation of being too afraid to tell their parents about what's going on. We need your help to track them down."

"O-Okay."

"We need a list of the male adults that Cesar came into contact with."

A few moments passed before his mother told you, "I can't think of anyone except the teachers and our neighbors – Cesar s-stopped going to church not l-long after we moved here."

You nodded and stood. "Thank you for your time."

With that done and over with, you and Officer Conan stepped outside the Andino household and made your way to his patrol car. As you stood next to it, you discussed where to take the investigation next.

"I'll radio in to let the Chief know what happened," he told you. "I'll see if we can interrogate more teachers. Just wait out here for me."

Conan got inside his cruiser to make the calls while you stepped away to think about the situation. The abuse could explain some of his agitated and quiet behavior, but not all of it. Several people had mentioned a sudden animal-like aggression when he lashed out. That wasn't quite a normal reaction to abuse.

Across the street, a boy came into view as he walked past. His gaze was pointed down as he hunched over and tugged up his collar, concealing his neck. Now _that_ was exactly the kind of behavior expected from an abused child. You narrowed your eyes and glanced to the direction he was coming from, where you saw a man watching him from behind a window. He briefly made eye contact with you before jumping back and closing the curtains. Without stopping to think or inform Officer Conan, you followed your gut and crossed the street to house number thirteen before loudly knocking on the door.

"Police! Open up!"

A few moments passed before the man came to the door and smiled at you. "No need to yell, Miss. I'm right here. Did you need something from me?"

You flashed him your fake badge. "My name is Officer Stone. I just have a few questions to ask you about your neighbor, Cesar Andino." His eyes briefly narrowed as you continued. "He was killed a few days ago. We need a character profile of him, so we're going around and asking everyone that knew him."

The man grinned. "Oh, of course. Come in. Come in."

You hesitated as he backed away from the entrance, leaving space for you to enter. Of course it was stupid to enter the house of this random creepy man when there was a man out there abusing kids and teenagers around your and Cesar's age, but you wanted him to feel that you trusted him. If he believed that, he would be less guarded and reveal more if he were indeed the man you were searching for. With this in mind, you stepped inside, keeping yourself facing him at all times.

The man closed the door behind you – cutting you off from help – before offering, "Would you like something to drink, Miss Stone?"

You frowned. "No, I just need to ask you a few questions."

He was taller than you and lean, but not the most muscle-bound person you had seen. He might prove too strong for you if you gave him the chance, though. You would have to be careful to stay out of reach just in case.

"Of course. Let's sit. Come. Come." The man gestured for you to follow him further into the house.

Warily, you complied. The man disappeared behind a door just before you reached the room, and you hesitated. He could be keeping a weapon in there, but you probably would have heard him messing around with something and you wanted to know the truth. You pressed on, stepping into what was apparently his kitchen according to the spices you saw on the counters and the oven in the corner. Before you could locate the man, he jumped you, his hands wrapped around your neck as he pushed you against the counter, cutting off your airway and your escape route.

"You're not telling anyone," he hissed as he tightened his grip around your throat.

A panic flooded your mind as you tried in vain to push him back and just _breathe._ It lasted a brief moment before you were overwhelmed by a fierce determination, because – damn it – if you survived three days of being tortured by a madman, you sure as Hell weren't going to let this fucking backwater creep kill you.

You haphazardly reached back to the counter and grabbed the first spice you could find before cracking the container open and launching the contents into his eyes. The man howled as he released you and backed away. Air filled your burning lungs with a deep gasp as you collapsed to the ground in a fit of coughs. You reached for the radio on your belt and turned it on before you saw him stand again. You rolled out of the way and scrambled to your feet as he collided with the counter. He could barely see – his eyes watering as he came at you again. You pulled back your leg before launching it into the air and pivoting, slamming your shin against your attacker's head and knocking him out.

You coughed as you raised your radio to your mouth and hoarsely called into it, "Conan, I'm in house thirteen. I've got him."

*** * * July 16 * * ***

While you and your local police department were wrapping up your case, the Task Force had already moved into their new headquarters. Everyone was sitting around the large screens depicting the confinements of Misa, Soichiro, and Light. The trio closest to the front was the three remaining Wammy geniuses. Mello noticed Watari returning to the room, probably having just sent you instructions on how to access the new building and investigation floor. Everyone had been staring at the screens as Misa continued on and on trying to bribe her apparent stalker into releasing her. Light and Soichiro were pacing around their rooms again in silence. Honestly, it was getting ridiculous. It had been a while since the Kira murders started up again, and even if all the evidence pointed to them before, they clearly weren't doing anything under the watch of the Task Force.

The blond sighed before grumbling, "I hate to say it, but it's pretty clear that Light isn't Kira and neither is Misa."

On L's other side, Near argued, "We should wait to see how long this lasts."

"That's pointless!" the older successor snapped. "If either of them were Kira, we would've seen them killing these past few weeks and that hasn't happened."

L was silent for a few moments before announcing, "Watari, get Soichiro."

Mello nodded to himself before his attention strayed from the plan the others were discussing, his thoughts turning to you again. Just what was taking you so long? It should've only taken you a day or two, yet it had already been a week since you left. Maybe he should have gone after you anyway.

"Hey."

The blond looked up to find Matt next to him. "What?"

"She told you that she'd be careful, right?" the redhead asked. "You've just gotta trust her."

Mello snorted. Leave it to his best friend to figure this shit out without him saying anything. Still... while Matt had a point, he couldn't help but worry about you.

 

You learned through the rest of the interrogations that the man who attacked you was indeed the man who was strangling Cesar. Further allegations indicated that he targeted multiple children in the neighborhood. He was currently being held in jail and charged with multiple counts each of aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of a child, sexual assault, and sexual assault on a minor. So that was one more mystery down – the marks on your own neck matching the marks that had been found on Cesar's – but there was still that one anomaly about that photo you saw: that dark line between his teeth and gums. If it were truly a food dye, the discoloration wouldn't be limited to just that area. All you had left to do was wait to see what the autopsy report said. When it was finally submitted, you all gathered around to hear the results.

"Cesar's blood tests just came back for chronic lead poisoning," the coroner announced. "Symptoms include a Burton line," he turned to you as he clarified, "that black-blue line you found between his teeth and his gums – and it also includes aggressive behavior over time, which would explain those witness testimonies about his random outbursts. There was also a buildup of fluid in the brain, which would cause increasingly severe headaches before killing him. Frankly, he would have been dead by now whether this was a homicide or not."

You furrowed your eyebrows. "Where would he even get lead poisoning from? Isn't the city water tested?"

As the coroner shut his notes, he explained, "The most common source is from old lead-based paint – though that is only really an issue for young children, not someone as old as he was. Nowadays, lead-based paint isn't used anymore, but sometimes you can find it chipping off old houses. As for the city, the sewer system has levels within the legal threshold."

You pursed your lips as you thought back to the Andino household. There was paint chipping on the outside. Combined with Cesar's apparent love for eating non-food objects, it would make sense that he could have ingested the lead that way. Still... that shouldn't have been enough to pose a problem to someone of his size. Where else would he be ingesting lead from? You closed your eyes as you thought back to the rest of the interrogations. There had to be something.

 

_"Your son has been written up for behavior frequently in this school system. Has this always been an issue?"_

_"No, only since we moved here..."_

_"Everyone has kind of been on edge lately..."_

_Everyone AT THE SCHOOL as been on edge lately..._

 

You opened your eyes. "That's it!"

*** * * July 18 * * ***

A few days had passed and lead-tests had been done on the Andino household and the water at the school system. Unsurprisingly, the paint at his house tested positive, and the school was revealed to have unsafe levels of the heavy metal circulating through its pipes. That was it: the final piece to the puzzle. People were being chronically poisoned by the lead, leading to more aggressive behaviors in general, which helped provoke Cole into beating Cesar to death. Of course, just because you figured it all out, that didn't mean that everything was fine. Cole would be facing prison no matter what, and a life was still lost. Cesar was gone forever and his parents would have to cope with that for the rest of their lives.

It wasn't long before the local media got a hold of the news and blew it up, but that wasn't your concern. That would be something for the school officials to deal with. In the meantime you had finally managed to retrieve the records that you had come for in the first place, and you were currently saying your goodbyes to Kato and Melinda.

The Japanese teen nodded at you. "Hey, thanks for getting involved. You really helped bring everything to light."

"Yeah!" Melinda chimed in as she put an arm around him. "And it kept Kato from being labeled a murderer too."

He shrugged her off as he furrowed his eyebrows. "That's not funny. Cesar is really dead."

The redhead sighed. "Yeah... I'm just surprised this whole thing happened to begin with."

"It wasn't just the murder either," Kato reminded her before turning to you. "You're the one who made the connection between his lead poisoning and the school. We've all been poisoned for who knows how long, even if it wasn't intentional." He looked down before smiling. "You know, you really are making a difference now... one case at a time."

You smiled back at him before giving your final goodbyes. "I'm heading back to Japan, but I'll let you guys know as soon as I can come home and see you again."

*** * * July 24 * * ***

It had been two weeks to the date since you left Japan – cutting it very close to L's deadline – but at least you managed to make a difference in your hometown. You had put all your files in a safe place so that you could access them when your contract was up, but you weren't sure whether you would need them or not. After the success of your investigation, you had gone back with a sense of accomplishment that you never really felt before when working on your other cases.

After arriving at the new headquarters, you grabbed your luggage and headed out. The building itself was massive and elegant, surpassing the hotels you had been using the past few months. You followed Watari's instructions to bypass the security system as you entered the building. Once finished, you climbed into the elevator and waited as it took you to the main investigative floor.

The elevator stopped and the doors opened to reveal a huge open room filled with all sorts of screens, tables, cabinets, computers, and everything else you would need for the comfort of the new investigative headquarters. As you took in the sight, you couldn't help but compare it to the headquarters that you shared with Near in Washington DC. Being a newer building, it was more modern and streamlined, but it was largely similar to yours – albeit more spacious.

Familiar faces greeted you as you looked off to one side of the room. Matt, Mogi, and Aizawa were in the far corner, hovering over a mess of paperwork on the table. One of them looked up at you with wide eyes, clearly surprised to see you standing there. Your eyes continued to wander closer to the door and you noticed Mello walking around with a chocolate bar in hand. He looked up at you with a wide grin, and you couldn't help but return it. In the corner nearest to you was Near. Your partner turned to face the elevator and froze when his eyes locked with yours. He frowned as he glanced across the room.

You furrowed your eyebrows as you followed his gaze. There you could see L sitting in front of a group of computer screens, his thumb pressed to his mouth as he looked at you pensively. What you didn't expect, however, was the teen sitting next to him.

Light's eyes were wide as he gaped at you. "Robin?"

You froze as you stared at him with wide eyes.

"You're on the Task Force?" Light asked.

You pursed your lips as you looked down and approached him. "Light, I'm sorry. I... Robin isn't my real name. I'm one of Ryuzaki's agents. He had me enroll at To-Oh to keep an eye on you, but our friendship was real. I do – I did have feelings for you, but..." You glanced away as your mind drifted to Misa.

He sighed before looking down and nodding. As you returned your attention to Light and L, you noticed the long chain that handcuffed the two geniuses together. You furrowed your eyebrows as you realized that this meant that L still suspected Light – or he was letting his own stubbornness get in the way.

You could barely make yourself look at Light as you asked, "Why are you here, anyway?"

L answered before the brunet could. "We put him and Miss Amane through a test. Soichiro took them away and threatened them with a gun – very convincingly, might I add. If Light or Misa were Kira, they would have killed him to save themselves. Since he is no longer a suspect, I asked Light to assist us in catching Kira again."

You frowned as you glanced to the handcuffs. _He's lying again._

Light sighed. "Robin, I know that lies are no basis for a relationship, but I would still like to get to know the real you. Maybe we could start over?"

You tightened your lips into a thin line as you looked away. A part of you wanted to take his offer, but you knew that you couldn't do that. L clearly still suspected him, so it would be best to keep your distance in case he was right and your own feelings were clouding your judgement – again. On top of that, even if Light wasn't Kira, he still cheated on you – or cheated on Misa with you. A wave of emotions that you had been ignoring for the past two months came flooding back in full force: anger, hurt, resentment, hope. All of those and so many more.

"What should I call you?"

Your lips began to quiver as you told him, "Just call me Robin here."

The young man's expression fell. "You can trust me now. If my own word isn't good enough for you, Ryuzaki also proved that I'm not Kira."

You clenched your fists slightly as you snapped, "If that's the case, then why are you handcuffed to him?"

You did your best to hide your falling tears from the two geniuses, looking down as you brusquely walked away. With your eyes nearly blinded by your tears, you didn't know you were headed toward someone until you collided with them. You felt familiar hands gently hold onto your arms as you looked up from his chest to his face.

Mello was frowning as he pinched his eyebrows together and shot a sharp glare at Light. The blond's expression softened as he looked back down at you and discreetly wiped your tears.

His voice was quiet as he wrapped his hand around yours and began to lead you to the elevator. "I'll bring you to your room, okay?"

All was silent for a few moments as the doors closed, isolating you in the carriage. Mello placed a strong hand on your back and gently rubbed in a circle. You could feel him tense as he moved in a slightly halting motion, making it clear that despite wanting to do more to physically be there, he was respecting your space.

"I know that it's hard for you to be around him after all that happened," he softly began, "and I wish that I could do more to protect you from that, but Ryuzaki's being stubborn about keeping an eye on him even though the test showed that he's not Kira."

You let out a shaky breath. "I know. Honestly, I thought I was over it, but..."

Mello was silent for a few moments before admitting, "I missed you."

The corners of your lips tugged into a small smile. "I missed you too."

A few moments passed as he mirrored your expression before the doors opened and he picked up your suitcase. As he led you out of the elevator, you took in your new surroundings. There was a long hallway with a single door on either wall and a second elevator at the far end.

"Ryuzaki wanted me to let you know that there's no surveillance in any of our rooms or on the roof," the blond explained.

Just as Mello stopped to let you into your suite, the opposite door opened, revealing the woman that Light had cheated on you with.

Misa furrowed her eyebrows at you. "You're that Robin girl. What are you doing here?"

You frowned as you tried to scramble for an excuse, but Mello was quick to cover you. "Relax. She's been working on the case with us for a long time."

She immediately brightened up. "Oh, that's okay, then. It's nice to meet you!"

You smiled warily at the young woman, but kept your silence. Were she and Light still dating after all this? Before she had the chance to bother you further, Mello dragged you into your room.

Well, to call it a room was an understatement when your new living quarters consisted of several rooms and took up nearly half the floor. You even had your own bathroom _and_ bedroom this time. Truth be told, it was a little weird after spending the past six or seven months in a shared living arrangement.

"So, how'd it go?" Mello asked, drawing you out of your awe. "You took a lot longer than you said you would. I really thought Ryuzaki was going to send me after you tomorrow."

You chuckled and rubbed the back of your neck. "Well, a lot more happened than I expected."

He laughed before his eyes locked onto your neck, drawing his smile into a frown as he furrowed his eyebrows. You winced as you realized what you had inadvertently drawn his attention to.

Mello stepped forward and reached up, the tips of his fingers gently ghosting across your bruises as he asked, "Who did this to you?"

You took his hand in yours, pulling it away from your neck as you told him, "I'm fine now. It was a suspect – well, he was actually the culprit, but at the time he was just a suspect-"

His eyes went wide as his grip on your fingers tightened slightly. "Wait, what? _A suspect?_ What the Hell were you doing out there?"

You couldn't help but laugh. "Hey, I _did_ say that a lot more happened than I expected."

He pursed his lips for a few moments as he pulled your interlaced hands between the two of you. "You're sure you're okay?"

You nodded as you gave him a reassuring smile. "Yeah, I'm fine now. I don't think he was around my neck for too long, and I've been taking care of it the way the medics told me to. It's only really sore if I put pressure on the bruises."

The blond sighed before smiling somewhat. "Alright. As long as you're okay now."

He looked down before releasing your hand and taking a step back. Your eyebrows twitched downward as you watched, only just realizing how close you were standing – and how far this new distance felt now. Your hand felt naked – cold – as he pulled away, and you couldn't help but grasp it with your other one.

"So, what happened?" Mello asked.

The corners of your lips twitched upward as you took a step forward and told him, "It's a long story. Let's sit."

He grinned and joined you as you sat on your new couch, listening as you started from the beginning.


	23. Life Flows On

*** * * July 28 * * ***

You had only been back in Japan for a few days, but L made sure to get you back up to speed with the case. Apparently they had no leads whatsoever, only the confusion that came with criminals being killed again while their prime suspects were locked up in cells. Soon after arriving at headquarters, you were assigned to write a new program to find Kira's victims and patterns in hopes of leading to a new profile. Thankfully, Watari had all of your belongings shipped to your new suite, including your computer – which was far more powerful than your laptop or anything else they had at headquarters.

Over the past few days, you had also learned that Matsuda was acting as Misa's manager to keep an eye on her while she wasn't at headquarters – and L was making sure to keep her away as often as possible. After the blonde was told that you were just spying on Light at To-Oh as a part of the Kira investigation, she became very friendly with you. Although you only really saw her in the hallway between your suites, she would often stop to converse.

You were currently down on the investigation floor with the rest of the Task Force, sitting next to L and Light as you explained how your latest program analyzed heart attack deaths. As you pointed out what made this program more automated than the last one the elevator doors opened, revealing Misa and Matsuda.

The blonde jovially bounced to the center of the room as she announced, "Guess what? I just got the lead role in a movie! We're going to start working on it next week."

You smiled and congratulated her. As the blonde went on to describe the details of the romantic comedy, you couldn't help but feel a hint of jealousy. Not only was she back on her feet and making such impressive achievements so shortly after her release, but she and Light were still dating as if nothing had happened. Whether you still had feelings for him or not, it still stung to be just cast aside like that.

Misa received words of congratulations from Matt, Soichiro, L, and Light before pecking her boyfriend on the cheek and retreating to her room. When you finally finished up your explanation, you noticed Soichiro approach his son and sit down beside him.

"What's wrong, Light? You don't seem happy about Misa's success," he began with a concerned tone in his voice.

You and L watched the brunet as he sighed and confessed, "I am happy for her, but lately I've noticed that I don't really like her anymore. Yes, she's nice, but she's not on my mental level and it drives me crazy just to talk to her."

You pursed your lips as you glanced away. 

As Soichiro nodded understandingly, L chimed in. "You should keep dating her anyway, Light. She's pretty, and we need her under control."

Soichiro put a hand on Light's shoulder, making the teen turn to face him. "Just do what you think is right."

The brunet nodded and pursed his lips for a few moments before dragging L to the elevator, presumably to talk to Misa. A few minutes passed before you gave up on seeing either of them anytime soon, so you stood and approached the rest of the Wammy Teams to start going over your new program with them.

 

It took quite some time for the pair of geniuses to return, but you were so focused on your task that you didn't bother to speak to either of them. Late into the night, long after the Japanese detectives returned to their homes, you finally decided to retire to your quarters. After bidding goodnight to your remaining coworkers, you entered the elevator and let it take you to the floor that you shared with Misa.

The doors opened and you traversed the hallway to your suite, but as you paused to reach for the handle faraway sobs tackled your eardrums. You paused for a moment as you glanced to the door behind you, the only place they could be coming from. A slight frown tugged at the corners of your lips as you recalled the earlier conversation Soichiro had with Light, knowing that he had most likely broken up with the blonde.

You hesitated for a moment as you frowned. A part of you wanted to help, but would she really want it from you of all people? She was jealous of you when she first met you – and for a good reason too –though you supposed that she might not be anymore according to her recent friendly behavior. A sigh escaped your lips as you made your decision. You knew that if you were this upset, you would want someone to be there for you too, and you were going to be there for her. With that decided, you walked up to Misa's door.

You softly knocked on the door and uttered a quiet, "Misa, can I come in? I just want to talk."

After a few more minutes of trying to at least somewhat politely get her attention, the blonde had still not responded – either ignoring your pleas or being too upset to hear them. Maybe you should have taken this as a hint to give up and just hide in your room as if nothing had happened. After all, Light dated the two of you at the same time. Why would she want to see you anyway? Still, she was cooped up in here as your neighbor with no one who seemed to care about her except for Matsuda, and you highly doubted that he would be helpful in consoling her after a breakup. Maybe it was time to extend the olive branch her way. In a time like this, she needed a friend.

With a sigh, you opened the door and let yourself in. Similar to your room there was a large open space with a few places to sit, eat, and watch television, but that wasn't what you were looking for. You followed the sound of sobs into a back room and opened the door, revealing a large bedroom. Misa was curled into a ball on her bed, her face shoved into a pillow as she cried. You pursed your lips as you tried to keep your composure before walking up to the bed and carefully sitting down next to her.

Your voice was a quiet whisper as you laced your fingers together. "I know we don't really know each other, but you can talk to me, Misa."

Misa took in a shaky breath through the pillow before telling you, "L-Light broke up with me!"

Unable to keep herself together, the model burst into tears again. It was awkwardly silent for a while except for Misa's hysteria. Was it really your place to say anything to her? What would you even say? Still, you were already there, so you should probably try to help her somehow.

You sighed and gently stroked her back. "I know you're not going to agree with me now, but it still needs to be said. You can do better than Light and I know it. You should date someone who makes you happy and actually cares about you, not someone who's willing to cheat on you."

Just as you expected, she sat up as she cried out, "But I don't want anyone else! I want Light back!"

You frowned. "I know, Misa. It's not going to be easy, but you need to let him go."

Her lips trembled before she burst into another onset of sobs, likely unwilling to verbally agree with you yet.

You sighed as you stood. "If you ever want to talk, I'm just across the hall."

*** * * August 6 * * ***

Just over a week had passed since Light broke up with Misa, and as much as she didn't want to get out of bed, Matsui made sure that she did. Her manager reminded her of the reading that was scheduled for her movie and eventually managed to convince the budding actress to go. The blonde was wearing more plain clothes than her usual style, but it was presentable enough in her mind.

She followed Matsui into the large conference room filled with the other actors for the movie she would be starring in. While a part of Misa was excited for her big break, she still struggled to hold a smile as various producers and actors approached her in greetings.

Soon the director approached her with a tall man in tow behind him. "Misa, it's great to see you! This is Hideki Ryuga, your costar."

With that said the tall man smiled and stepped forward. "It's nice to meet you." He furrowed his eyebrows for a moment. "Are you alright?"

The blonde pursed her lips and looked down. "My boyfriend broke up with me last week."

Hideki frowned. "I'm sorry to hear that." He then placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her an encouraging smile. "If this gets too hard for you today, just let me or Mr. Nishinaka know. I'm sure they'll let us break for a bit if you need it."

She furrowed her eyebrows as she looked up at him curiously. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, they're pretty lenient about it as long as we get things done today," he explained.

Misa was silent as she stared at him with a slightly raised eyebrow. Now that she took the time to actually take in his appearance, she noticed that he had shoulder-length brown hair in a cut that reminded her of Ryuzaki. She couldn't help but find him attractive. As she opened her mouth to speak, the director called out to have everyone sit in their spots around the table to go through the first reading of the script.

The actors, writers, producers, and director all had labeled seats directly at the large circle with a copy of the script waiting for them. The managers all sat behind their respective actors as they kept an eye on things. Being one of the main characters, Misa was given a seat near the director along with her costar, Hideki. Once everyone was settled the reading commenced.

It began with a narration by Hideki's character, vaguely going on about how he didn't expect such a set of mundane events to lead him to the woman he would marry. Then the action began with a dialogue between his character and some others. It wasn't until a few scenes later when Misa's character would be introduced.

As the reading went on, she found herself smiling more and thinking less of Light. Misa's character and Hideki's character continually met in unplanned accidents with a recurring theme of the red string of fate. Finally, after hours of work, they made it to the confession scene. The characters were meant to be in a park as they held hands and faced each other.

Hideki read his lines with such genuine emotion that Misa felt her heart soar. She knew that it was just a script, but she truly felt like he was confessing his love to her. A blush had settled on her cheeks by the time he stopped and it was time for her part of the confession. While she hesitated and stuttered a bit, the director loved it, commenting on how real that whole exchange felt and how glad he was to have these two actors.

The reading ended shortly after the confession scene and the participants all stayed to mingle a bit before the director announced when shooting would begin. Misa's mood had improved tremendously by that point as she laughed along with the other actors.

Hideki was one of the last to come up to her with a smile. "You sounded amazing, Misa. I had to keep reminding myself that this was your first acting job."

The blonde blushed again as she smiled up at him. "Thank you! You did great too."

"Thank you. I really like to get to know my costars when I do movies," he began. "So, I was thinking we could meet for lunch this weekend to discuss how we're going to do our scenes."

"I would love to!"

Hideki's manager tapped on his shoulder and gestured for the door.

The brunet nodded and took out a small piece of paper before writing on it and handing it to Misa. "Sorry, I have another meeting, so I have to go. Here's my number. Just give me a call and we'll set up that date."

"O-Okay."

Misa waved as she watched Hideki walk off, her heart fluttering as he gave her one last smile.

*** * * August 15 * * ***

The moon was high on that stormy summer eve, droplets of rain pattering against the windows, but you were neither sleeping nor working on the case. Misa had a rare day off from her usual busy schedule, and L decided to send you to distract her all day to keep her away from the investigation. As the blonde put it, you were simply having a girls' night in her room.

You were currently sitting across from the model on the carpeted floor in her bedroom, nail care products scattered around you. It was Misa's idea to paint each other's nails in a sort of bonding exercise between the two of you. A part of you wondered which of the investigators was bored out of their minds right now as they watched your activities. You couldn't help but smile as you painted and listened to her stories. While your initial days of knowing each other were tense and awkward, you had grown to warm up to each other – especially now that Light was out of the equation for both of you. Truth be told, you had come to enjoy your time with the only other girl in the building – it was a nice break from the testosterone you were constantly surrounded with.

With Misa's nails now painted and dried, it was now her turn to paint your nails. 

The blonde gestured to the large collection of nail polish around you both. "Pick a color. I can do designs too, if you want." 

You pursed your lips for a few moments and reached out for a plain color before hesitating. "Actually... just pick something you think would look nice."

She put a thumb to her lip before grinning and grabbing a bottle. She shook it before uncapping it and taking your hand. You felt your body start to relax as she painted. Whether you would outwardly admit it or not, you were enjoying being pampered like this – at least a little. Misa turned out to be very skilled in nail-painting, even able to keep the brush aligned as she looked up at you during your conversations – though, they were mostly you listening to her talk about how the movie was going so far. As she excitedly went on and on, you noted that she was much happier than she had been a few weeks ago when Light broke up with her.

You smiled softly at the blonde. "It's so good to see you back to normal, Misa. Did anything happen?"

The corners of her lips tugged into a grin as she looked down sheepishly, her cheeks dusted a light pink as she admitted, "Well, there's this guy. His name is Hideki, and he's my costar in the movie. He's so handsome and sweet. We met for lunch to work out our characters last week, and I really like him." Misa looked up at you with a sly grin as she added, "Now that I've told you who I like, you have to tell me who you like! And don't deny it. I see how you get with everyone downstairs."

Your cheeks flushed a bright pink. "W-What? I-I don't know what you're talking about."

Misa pouted for a moment as she narrowed her eyes. "I said don't deny it!" Her lips curled into a teasing grin as she added, "You know, I think Mello has a thing for you. He spends a lot of time checking you out when you're not paying attention."

You avoided eye contact as you felt your face burn even brighter.

"Hmmm... You know," she began, "you've been doing the same to him lately too."

"S-Shut up," you quietly hissed, your thoughts back on the surveillance in the room as you hoped that no one would tell the blond.

With that said, she dropped the topic and continued painting your nails.

You sat there in a comfortable silence before the model asked, "So, how is the case going?"

You huffed a sigh. "Frankly, we're not getting anywhere. All of our past leads led to you and Light, and since that's clearly not the case, we're completely lost." 

Misa pursed her lips and nodded. "You know, my mom always said that when you get stuck on a problem, you should take a break and do something fun. The solution always comes when you're not thinking about it."

You frowned. "We can't afford to waste any more time."

"Then why are you here with me?" she teased.

You tensed. "W-Well... this is different. Ryuzaki wanted me to... well-"

She glanced down. "I'm not stupid, you know. I know that Ryuzaki still thinks me and Light are Kiras, and I know that he doesn't like me. You're just here to keep me busy."

Your shoulders drooped. "Hey, that's not... well, it's not _entirely_ true. I'm honestly having fun being around you, Misa, even if you're right about Ryuzaki."

You could practically see the stream coming out of her ears as she carefully scrutinized you.

A few moments passed before she commented, "Well, whether you're lying to me or not, I'm still having fun." She smirked as she added, "If nothing else, you're fun to tease~!"

You couldn't help but crack a smile as you stammered, "H-Hey!"

*** * * August 16 * * ***

Thanks to the lack of progress, tensions have been high within the Task Force. You were sitting at a table with Near, Matt, and Mello as you manually went through the murders that your program had picked out as significant. Aizawa, Soichiro, and Matsuda were sitting in another corner of the room as they kept an eye on the surveillance cameras while sorting through another set of paperwork. L and Light were sitting together at the main computers as they went through a set of murders that you had previously identified as likely Kira murders, though from what you were overhearing, they weren't exactly focusing on the case.

"...but you don't seem to have any motivation," Light pointed out.

"Motivation?" L repeated, more monotone than usual. "I don't have any. I'm actually depressed."

You looked up to see Light wide eyed as he repeated, "Depressed?"

"Yes. It's because I kept thinking you were Kira," L explained as he took a bite of his cake. "It's just a shock if that theory is wrong." He paused for a moment before looking down at the long handcuffs that chained them together. "No, I still have suspicions about you. That's why we're doing this. However, Kira was able to control peoples' actions. So, Kira controlled you and Misa in a way that I'd suspect you. If I think of it that way, then the ends meet. But, why you two are still alive is the part that doesn't make sense."

Light folded his arms as he eyed the detective warily. "Ryuzaki, with that theory, wouldn't Misa and I, although controlled, have been Kira?"

"Yes, there'd be no question about that. You are both Kira," L accused.

Light furrowed his eyebrows as he stared down the raven-haired detective. With a glance around you noticed that everyone had paused to listen in on the conversation.

"The way I see it," L began, "when you were detained, you were Kira. And when you were detained, the criminals stopped dying. Until that point, you being Kira makes sense. However, after two weeks, the criminals started dying again. From that, this next assumption is a possibility. Kira's power passes on from person to person. The second Kira's video also mentioned something about sharing Kira's power."

Light was silent for a moment as he looked forward. "It's an interesting thought, but if Kira was able to do that, then there is no way to catch him."

"Yes, that's why I'm stuck," L admitted. "Controlling someone to kill criminals... If that person gets caught, then the powers transfer to someone else and their memories disappear. There would be no closure just by catching them."

There was another short silence before Light spoke up. "But that hasn't been officially decided yet. We still don't know enough about Kira." He smiled and put an encouraging hand on L's shoulder. "Bring out some motivation."

"Motivation?" L repeated. "I can't bring out much. No, it's not a good idea to try too hard. By trying too hard to chase we put our lives at greater risk, don't you think? To think how many times I thought I was going to die..."

Light's back was to you as he stood and looked down to the great detective. "Ryuzaki..."

L looked up only to be met with Light's fist, throwing him across the room.

Light managed to catch himself as he narrowed his eyes at the older man. "Don't be ridiculous. Because I'm not the real Kira – because your theory was wrong – you have no motivation?"

L rubbed his cheek. "I may have said it badly. Let's not make a move because the situation might just get worse."

"What are you talking about? If we don't move then there's no way to catch him. Who's the one that told Kira that he'd have him executed on TV?" Light argued before grabbing L by his shirt collar. "How many policemen, FBI agents, announcers and other innocent people do you think got involved? And aren't you the one who detained me and Misa?"

"I know," L told him. "But, no matter what..." He kicked Light in the face. "One time is one time!"

As both men crouched on the ground, Light called him out on being unsatisfied with any result other than Light being Kira. Much to your surprise, L admitted that he was right. Still, the physical fight continued between words.You tightened your lips into a thin line as you silently clenched your fists. You glanced to Mello, hoping that he would do something to stop them, but the amused look on his face told you otherwise.

You heard Matsuda in a slight panic off to the side as he said, "We... We have to go and stop them!"

Soichiro sounded more disappointed than anything as he told him, "Matsuda, leave them."

The fight continued as L and Light knocked each other around the computer station. The longer this went on, the more it got on your already heightened nerves. Your whole body began to shake as you glared at the pair.

Near glanced over to you and warned, "Robin, you should stay out of it."

L kicked Light in the chest before the brunet retaliated with another punch to his face. Something snapped within you as you jumped up from your seat.

"That's it!"

Before anyone could stop you, you rushed to the fighting geniuses to stop this nonsense and threw yourself into the fray. You situated yourself between the geniuses and grabbed the back of L's shirt with one hand as you grabbed the front of Light's shirt with the other. In one fluid motion you slammed L onto the table, pinning him there as you held Light back.

There was an audible gasp from behind you, prompting you to briefly glance to the other occupants of the room. Matsuda was standing there, dumbstruck at your abilities. Soichiro and Aizawa had matching expressions of widened eyes and mouths partially agape. Mello had a hand over his mouth, appearing to try to stifle his laughter. Matt wore the same expression that the Japanese detectives had, and Near simply looked on with a frown.

You whipped around to face the two men you had just subdued. Light gave you a more apologetic smile, but L was clearly furious, glaring daggers at you as he frowned.

"Ryuzaki I expected this from, but Light," you turned to your ex-boyfriend and narrowed your eyes at him. "I expected better from you. You're supposed to be a mature honors student, but getting into petty fights goes against that. Grow up!"

He winced, but remained silent.

L drew your attention to him as he scoffed. "You're such a hypocrite, Robin. You and Mello fought each other when you first met, so what does that say about you?"

You narrowed your eyes in a ferocious glare as you stared down the detective. "You're right, Ryuzaki. Mello and I fought, and fought, and fought. We spent more time arguing than investigating, so we missed vital clues that could have saved us!" You furrowed your brows as you snapped, "Thanks to our stupid fight Beyond Birthday got the upper hand and nearly killed both of us! And Kira is a much bigger threat than Beyond, so we all need to keep our guards up and stay at the top of our games if we want even a chance at catching him."

L's expression softened slightly as he tightly shut his mouth, though he sent a short glare to Light. The brunet ignored the great detective, his eyes still wide from what you just revealed. A part of you wondered if maybe he really didn't figure it out before, but it didn't really matter at this point.

You released both of them and backed away as you tightened your lips into a thin line. "Please, at least for the sake of the case, stop fighting like this. I know you're both upset, but, please, keep it verbal."

Unable to face either of them again as you tried to hide your tears, you turned and left through the elevator.

 

You found yourself in your room, standing in front of your bedroom window. Not even five minutes had passed since you arrived. You only stood there gazing off at the rains that bathed the city skyline in the distance, mind wandering elsewhere. Still, you heard quiet footsteps approaching you from behind. You took a deep breath before turning to face the newcomer as they stopped behind you.

Mello was frowning, his gaze soft as he looked over you. "Are you okay?"

"No," you admitted. "It's still weird being around Light after all this time, and I feel bad about how I lied to him before." You sighed before adding, "I keep thinking about this past winter too, even before Ryuzaki brought it up. I know he's dead and he can't do anything to me anymore, but I still can't shake it – I'm still afraid."

He took a step closer, shortening the already-small gap between you as he called your name and affirmed, "I swore that I would keep you safe – and I mean it."

A frown tugged at the corners of your lips, your voice a mere whisper as you told him, "I don't want you to get hurt again because of me."

Mello sighed before reaching to his leather vest and unzipping it, revealing his bare chest. He pulled the left half aside, showing you the slight burns that lined only a small portion of his side and shoulder.

"It was a lot worse when it first happened, but it's getting better now. What scars I have left will heal by the end of the year." His blue eyes gazed into yours. "Even knowing how bad it once was, I would still go through it all over again to keep you safe."

You reached out and gently brushed your fingers over his scar. A shaky sigh escaped your lips before you took another step forward, snaking your arms around his bare chest and pressing yourself against him as you closed your eyes. He returned the gesture, holding you in a warm embrace as he rested his head on yours.

Even though it didn't start out like this, you knew that you were safe with Mello. Your emotions waged war inside you as you compared him to Light. Yes, you thought that you liked the brunet, but had he ever made you feel safe? In one way or another, he was dishonest your entire time together at To-Oh, and you were partly to blame. How could you ever trust each other after that? But when you woke up in the hospital with Mello and learned what he sacrificed for you, you knew that you could trust him with your life. He was your protector, and you felt safer in his arms than anywhere else.

How long you remained in that position, you couldn't be sure. What you did know was that all your worries had washed away. You remained in each other's arms until rain began to fall from the sky, only pulling away enough to come face to face.

You felt his heart beating rapidly in his chest as he smiled at you, and your heart fluttered too, having long ached for affection – to be cared for and loved. Hypnotic blue eyes gazed into your own, drawing you ever closer until your lips met his in a passionate dance. You found your hands wandering up and down his toned back, and he followed in this motion soon after. As Mello's hands drifted down to your hips, he slipped his fingers under your shirt. Slowly and gently he began to lift it upward, stopping at your midriff as he rested his hands on your hips.

He pulled away to take a breath, allowing you to do the same. As you felt his body so intimately pressed against your own, your heart skipped a beat, your body aching for his touch. You moved your hands to rest on his shoulders as if to push his shirt off.

Mello gazed longingly into your eyes, but with furrowed brows and a concerned tone as he asked, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

You bit your lip for a moment before leaning in with half-lidded eyes and whispering, "Yes."

Whether knowingly or not, he mirrored your expression as he pulled his arms behind his back and let his vest drop to the ground. You wrapped your arms around him as you passionately pressed your lips against his, weaving your fingers through his golden locks as he reached around and began to pull your shirt over your head. You pulled away from his lips only to remove your shirt before returning, both of you haphazardly undressing as you made your way to your bed.


	24. Those Three Words

*** * * August 17 * * ***

When you woke up the following morning, you found yourself in Mello's arms. You couldn't help but sigh as you smiled and rested your head on his bare chest again.

A few minutes passed before he stirred, shifting as he asked, "Are you okay?"

You moved back so you could see his face as you nodded. "It doesn't really hurt anymore, but walking might be awkward today."

He relaxed somewhat, gazing into your eyes as he confessed, "Sorry about that. I didn't realize that I was your first."

You briefly laughed, your cheeks still stained with a light blush. "You know what happened before I signed my contract. Did you honestly think that I had any time or desire for this back then?"

He shrugged. "I never really thought about it, but to be honest..." he grinned, "I'm really happy that it was me."

You felt your cheeks warm. "Yeah... me too."

A few moments passed before Mello's smile faded and he looked up at the ceiling. "Did you mean it?"

You raised an eyebrow. "What?"

He sighed before facing you again. "You have a tendency to say things without thinking sometimes."

"Hey, you're impulsive too!"

"Yeah, but I don't change my mind after doing something," he argued. "Look, as nice as that was, I don't really want this to be a friends with benefits kind of thing, so I need to know if you really meant what you said last night."

You hesitated for a moment before looking away and admitting, "I don't really have anything to compare to – I didn't know any couples growing up. I just... I don't want to say yes and be wrong."

"And I didn't have any examples at Wammy's either, but I know my answer," he pointed out. "Don't force logic into this – what does your gut say?"

You pursed your lips as you tried to think.

Before your train of thought could get far, Mello added, "You know what? Don't answer that yet. I want an honest answer, but you're still emotional right now, and you probably won't be able to think straight for a while." He stood and began to get dressed as he told you, "I'm going down to work on the case. You know where to find me when you figure it out, alright?"

 

Some time later, you found yourself sitting at a table with the rest of the Wammy Teams in the investigation room. Your mind and body were exhausted after your activities the prior night along with the question that weighed on your mind. A quiet sigh escaped your lips as you closed your eyes in an attempt to refocus yourself, but you quickly found out that it would not work as you had hoped.

Almost immediately the gears of your memory began to turn, playing out the scene in your mind again. Rain pattered against the window outside. Your arms were wrapped around him as best as you could from your position below. Mello grunted as he rocked in and out of you, prompting a moan to escape your lips as you began to rise to your climax.

Your warm cheeks chased the memory away as you opened your eyes again, greeting you with the view of your coworkers at the table. While Matt and Near were looking down at the paperwork as they focused, Mello glanced up and met your gaze. He shot you a playful smirk as his eyes trailed up and down your body, a light blush dusting his cheeks pink as he likely recalled the very moments you were just thinking of. Your blush deepened as you looked away bashfully and a smile tugged at the corners of your lips. 

By the time you finally joined the investigators downstairs, you were informed that there was an argument that ultimately led to L's decision to no longer keep Light chained to him – though, like Misa, he was still not allowed to leave the building without any supervision. Despite his newly-freed status, Light mostly kept around L and the Japanese detectives. Mello had made it very clear that he disliked the brunet, and Near wasn't exactly being hospitable either, so the former Kira suspect was keeping his distance from them.

Partway through your work, L walked up to the table to see how you were progressing. Around the same time, Misa jovially entered the room and ran up to you.

"Hey, Robin! Guess what? I have the day off," she told you. "We should totally hang out and do something fun." 

You gave her an apologetic smile. "Misa, you know I would if I could, but I'm working now." 

The blonde pouted. "Aww, come on. _Please?"_

"Sorry, but-"

L interrupted you to admit, "Actually, that sounds like a good idea. Perhaps your mother was onto something with the idea of relaxing to improve brain function."

Your eyes went wide. L – Mister all work and no play – was suggesting to pause the investigation for leisure time? If you were truly hearing him correctly, he must have been incredibly desperate.

Misa's eyes lit up in excitement. "You mean you guys are actually going to take a break?"

The great detective nodded as he put a thumb to his lips. "Yes, that is what I'm suggesting. Watari and I commissioned this building with the intent of selling it as a hotel after our use for it was over, so there is a pool being maintained on the eleventh floor. I will have Watari purchase swimwear for anyone who needs it."

The model bounced up and down. "Oh, can I invite my friends now? You know I've been asking you to let me have them over."

He pursed his lips for a moment. "I don't see the harm in it."

"Yay~!"

Misa raced off as the great detective silently shuffled away from the table. L's four potential successors exchanged glances in a silent discussion of the strange conversation that had just taken place. Mello raised an eyebrow as he looked over to Matt. The redhead shrugged his shoulders before turning to you with a raised eyebrow, passing the unspoken question onto you. With the eyes of both men on you, you raised your hands in mock defense as if to say that you didn't want the responsibility of deciding how to handle the situation.

The three of you turned to the youngest of the group. Near sat there, twirling his hair for a few moments as he frowned before refocusing his attention on the paperwork. You and Matt turned to Mello, watching as the blond furrowed his eyebrows.

He dropped his hands to the table with a heavy thud as he stood. "Well, I'll meet you guys downstairs."

With the decision made, you dispersed. 

 

Some time had passed before Misa's friends arrived for what she was calling a pool party. You had changed into the same bathing suit that you wore in the hot tub in Los Angeles eight months ago and you were in the elevator as you made your way to the eleventh floor. As the doors opened, they revealed a large pool with many reclining beach chairs lining the perimeter. Misa and her friends – who were all clearly from her modeling agency – were scattered all around on the chairs and in the water as they conversed and splashed one another.

Off in the deep end of the pool you could see Mello and Matt roughhousing between their apparent diving competition. You couldn't help but grin at the sight. Given their boyish games, you had almost forgotten what geniuses they were – both men appearing as normal teenagers.

As you looked off to the side, you noticed a decently-sized hot tub where Light and L were relaxing and talking. You wondered if L would really be able to stick to the idea of not thinking about the case while sitting there.

A quick look around showed you that none of the Japanese detectives were present. Unsurprisingly, Watari was also absent from the area, likely due to L's past instructions to keep the man hidden from Light for safety reasons. Similarly, Near was nowhere to be found. Knowing your partner, he probably refused to take part in the activities and was staying in his room to think.

You walked over to the front of the pool and stepped into the water before wading your way to Misa. The blonde happily paused her conversation with the models around her.

"Oh, this is my newest friend, Robin!" she introduced before giving you the names of the three young women standing around you.

Given Misa's enthusiasm, they seemed to accept you into their group with relative ease. You spent some time floating around as they talked about their upcoming photoshoot, some inviting you to come along. After a while, the constant splashes at the deep end started attracting attention from some of the models around the pool. You looked up to notice Mello and Matt showing off in their diving competition. You couldn't help your blush as your mind flashed back to last night.

Misa shot you a sly grin as she teased, "It's totally Mello, isn't it? He's always checking you out, and now you're checking him out, aren't you?"

You playfully smacked her arm as you avoided answering her question. Misa folded her arms as she stared you down with a knowing smirk. The girls around you didn't appear to notice as the blonde dropped the topic and continued her earlier conversations with ease. After a few more minutes of listening, you decided to get away from the mindless chatter. You got out of the pool and made your way to the hot tub, briefly locking eyes with your ex-boyfriend along the way. He frowned and glanced away shortly after, though whether from guilt or something else you couldn't be sure. You suppressed a sigh as you mentally noted that, regardless of what happened, you would be seeing him more often now that he was on the Task Force. Awkward as it was, you decided that it would be best to treat him as a friend again.

You greeted L and Light as you stepped into the hot tub, noting that they were not discussing the case for once. The geniuses returned your greetings, Light with a warm smile and L with a more lethargic one. Still, L seemed happier than he had been lately, or at least more relaxed.

"I have to admit," he began, "while I had doubts about the success rate of this relaxation method, so far it has noticeably allowed me to think more clearly. Not only that, but my body feels more relaxed. I didn't realize how tense I had become."

You smiled warmly at him. "It's good to have you back to yourself, Ryuzaki."

The three of you sat there in a strangely amicable silence as you felt the warmth of the water jets massaging your back. You found yourself closing your eyes to let yourself fall deeper into your state of relaxation as you listened to the sounds of the guests playing in the pool. At some point into your near-meditative state, you heard the water splash around the hot tub. You peeked an eye open to see L standing, a wide grin plastered on his face.

"That's it!" he cried out. "We spent so much time focusing on criminal deaths that we completely overlooked non-criminal heart attack deaths. The key to finding Kira must lie in those. Robin, I need you to run your program without the criminal filter."

With this new possible lead, you were quick to follow L and Light out of the hot tub. After separating to change, the three of you met on the investigative floor to carry out the new plan. A few moments passed as you opened your program and edited out the lines of code that created that filter, replacing them with a more useful one.

You waited a few minutes as you ran the program again and it poured out the relevant data. As expected, there were many innocent people who died in their old age of heart attacks – likely natural ones. However, the next cluster of younger deaths left you standing there with your eyes wide open. 

You hesitated for a moment before telling the pair, "I... I know those people."

Light raised an eyebrow as L asked, "Care to share your discovery, Robin?"

You shook off your stupor to explain, "Those three men are Yotsuba executives. They were all appointed after I outed the corrupt ones."

The brunet pursed his lips for a moment as he glanced to the side. "This could mean that Kira works for Yotsuba and is trying to get higher up in the company."

"It would make sense," you chimed in. "A few of these other deaths were CEOs of Yotsuba's competitors."

You couldn't help but narrow your eyes at the realization. Maybe Kira was flawed and he killed innocents too, but these murders were clearly motivated by greed, not survival.

"We can't know for sure if Kira is in Yotsuba unless their stocks rise, though this appears to be a promising lead," L added.

"What's a promising lead?"

You turned to face the elevator where the new voice came from and were greeted with the sight of Matt and Mello standing there, still in their damp swim trunks as they approached the group. L explained the situation to the pair as they stopped next to your group.

A few moments passed before Mello turned to you. "Didn't your friend have a program that could accurately predict that kind of thing?"

You grinned. "That's it!"

Without another word you hurried off to your room to call Kato. Once in the privacy of your living quarters, you took out your phone and dialed your old friend's cell number. You listened to the rings for a few moments before he answered.

"This is Kato Nakamura speaking. Who is calling?"

"It's me."

You heard him quietly gasp before whispering your name. "Why are you calling me?"

"I need your help," you began. "We may have a new lead in the case, but only a rise in stock can confirm it – and I know that your program is highly accurate. Would you send it to me via email?"

"Of course. Anything to help you take him down." There was a pause before he added, "I'm sending you the files now. Good luck." 

"Thank you, Kato."

With that said, you bid your farewells and hung up.

After putting away your phone, you made your way to your computer and downloaded the program. Following Kato's instructions, you input the externalities into the analyzer and waited for it to compute the predictions. Thanks to the superior power of your desktop, the wait was short. A small window popped up with the results of the analysis – Yotsuba stocks were set to skyrocket. Without wasting another moment, you rushed downstairs to share the news.

By the time you made it back to the investigation floor, Matt and Mello were dried and dressed. Near and a few of the Japanese detectives had also joined the team in your absence, though some of them were stuck monitoring the security cameras as Misa's friends departed from the building. Those who were not busy gathered around as you explained the verdict.

When you finished speaking, L grinned and put a thumb to his lip. "We should acquire Yotsuba's digital files and search them for incriminating information so we can start looking for Kira."

There was a resounding murmur of agreement amongst the group, though you and Matt knew better.

The redhead frowned as he chimed in. "Their security system is way more advanced than it was a few years ago, especially after being targeted by Robin Hood. There's no way I could ever hack into them, and as skilled as she is, not even Robin could do it from the outside anymore."

L's smile disappeared as he turned to you for confirmation. 

You gave him an apologetic smile. "Yeah, there's nothing I can do from out here. We need someone on the inside to do any damage."

There was a silence before Near suggested, "We should have Robin work on the inside to give her access to their computers. It worked well on our last case."

L pursed his lips as he nodded.

Light chimed in, a slight venom in his voice as he commented, "She's a good enough actress to get away with it."

You narrowed your eyes at him as you snapped, "Oh, because dating two girls at the same time doesn't require _any_ acting skills."

The former Kira suspect froze and furrowed his eyebrows before his shoulders drooped slightly and he glanced away. You tensed after you caught your short and unexpected outburst. Though, your apparently-touchy mood could probably be explained by what Mello had asked you that morning.

"There's probably going to be physical evidence too," the blond pointed out, drawing your attention back to the conversation.

"Then we should have you search for that while Robin works on the digital evidence," L decided. "We just need to find open positions that would suit our needs."

You followed Mello and L to the computers and searched online for available jobs at the nearby Yotsuba office building. After some time researching, you found that a new secretary position had just been posted the other day and was now accepting applications. There were also several openings for nightshift janitors.

"You should apply at separate times to appear unrelated," L told you. "Though, we need a new alias for Robin and to create paper trails for both of you."

"I have a contact who specializes in forging documents for things like that," Mello admitted.

Your boss grinned. "I'll take you up on that offer."

With that decided, everyone dispersed to work on their new tasks – morale much higher than it had been yesterday.

*** * * August 24 * * ***

Mello's contact prepared your paperwork and backstories in record time. After having enough time to go over the information, L called you and the blond to meet with him and discuss the plan in more detail. The three of you were sitting around a coffee table as the great detective handed you your respective alias files.

"Mello will be monitored by Matt as in your previous cases together, and Robin will be monitored by Near for the same reasons," he explained as he turned to the young man beside you. "You will be going by your same alias, Takeshi Moto. You had working class parents who passed away in a house fire recently, leaving you to fend for yourself. That's why you need this job."

The blond nodded as L turned to face you. "Your alias for this mission is Robin Wilson. To cover your working accent this time, you are a native of England. Your mother passed away while giving birth to you, leaving your father to raise you. He met a Japanese woman while on a business trip when you were six years old. They eventually got married and decided to move to Japan. You were unable to get into university, so you decided to go straight into the work force. That's why you are applying for a secretary position at Yotsuba."

You furrowed your eyebrows. "Won't it be dangerous for Mello to be going by that old alias?"

The blond explained, "The only previous records under that alias are related to my burns and skin grafts. The whole house fire part of my story covers that."

You released a sigh in relief as you nodded understandingly. "So, which one of us should apply first?"

"Physical evidence will take more effort and time to gather, so Mello will be applying tonight," he explained. "You will wait a few days."

"Okay."

With that decided, the three of you stood and went to move on to your next steps. L was headed back to the investigation floor, and Mello was likely planning to send in his application, but your mind was elsewhere – unrelated to this investigation. Rather, you had been thinking about what Mello had asked you last week, and you were certain that you had your answer. Before he could disappear behind the door, you ran up to him and grabbed his arm.

"Mello, wait!"

He turned to you with a raised eyebrow and a hopeful twinkle in his eye as he asked, "What's up?"

You were silent for a few moments before working up your courage. "Y-You know what you asked me that night?"

His eyes widened briefly before telling you, "Hold that thought." You furrowed your brows before he tugged you along and explained. "I'm heading to my room anyway. Let's talk there."

You were silent as you awkwardly stood in the elevator together, butterflies churning in your stomach as your courage to speak up was slowly replaced by nerves. When you finally arrived, Mello closed the door behind you, disconnecting any potential eavesdroppers from your conversation .

He turned to face you again. "You were saying?"

Your heart beat rapidly in your chest as you gazed into his eyes, your hands feeling clammy and your throat suddenly dry as you tried to will yourself to speak. You had to close your eyes and take a deep breath to have any success at your attempts.

After exhaling, you opened your eyes and began. "That whole time I was gone, I kept thinking back to you. I wanted to tell you what was going on and ask for your opinion. What should I do? What did you think about the line on his teeth?" You glanced up at him as you added, "Even before that when we were fighting over what happened with me and Light, even though I was kinda mad at you, I kept thinking about how I didn't want to hurt you. I just needed some time to figure things out, I guess."

Mello glanced down before asking, "Did you figure it out?"

Your cheeks flushed a light pink as you smiled and nervously told him, "I think I have. What I said that night wasn't just something that came to me in that moment, but something that's been building up without me noticing. I really meant it, and I still mean it."

A corner of his lips twitched up before he caught himself. "Are you sure?"

You gave him a shy smile as you took a step closer and assured him, "I am."

Mello smiled back as he finally answered your statement from a week ago. "I love you too."

Your heart fluttered in your chest, and you couldn't help the goofy grin that tugged at your lips as you looked up at him. "So... does this mean that we're dating now or...?"

He laughed and kissed your cheek. "It does."


	25. Revelation

*** * * September 3 * * ***

It was mid-afternoon on that hot summer day. Light was sitting next to L around the rest of the Japanese detectives on the investigation floor of the Task Force headquarters. Mello was currently at his interview with Yotsuba, being guided by Matt in the corner of the room via headset.

Another death linked to Yotsuba had just come in, but the brunet found himself lost in thought. _It's really a different person. The Kira before was isolated and the Kira now... If you cling to the fact that he is killing off convicts, it's the same, but the difference is clear. The Kira right now just kills off anyone who is broadcasted as being a killer. The previous Kira did not judge anyone who didn't have any intent to kill, anyone who accidentally killed people, or people who had special circumstances._

He scrolled through the recent list of Kira murders as he rested his head in his hand. _For example, someone who accidentally hit another person with their car and killed them... The Kira before would not kill this person if he had not done something atrocious in the past. Not only that, if there was a reason to kill the person, if Kira himself determined that the person judged was at fault, he killed them. He did not kill arbitrarily._

Light furrowed his eyebrows as he dropped a finger to his lips. _If I were Kira, I would use this sort of judgement. Compared to that, I can't sense any human feelings from the current Kira._ He paused for a moment and narrowed his eyes. _No, the Kira from before and the Kira now aren't different from mass murderers. For murderers, there is no good or evil, both of them are evil. I know that. However, the pattern of the previous Kira's killings are frighteningly close to my own way of thinking._

He closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. _What am I thinking? I am not Kira. However, Ryuzaki should be aware of the differences between the current Kira and the previous one. Why hasn't he said anything about it? Does he assume that I was the previous Kira and there is no need to say anything now?_

A sigh escaped his lips as he tried to turn his mind from the subject, instead thinking to you. Misa - and consequently, Matsuda - had taken you out to go shopping for outfits to wear for your interview and hopefully while working there.

The corners of his lips curved into a soft smile. _I can imagine it now._

You and Misa had grown close over the past month, so you were undoubtedly enjoying yourself. Light reasoned that you had likely not had any contact with other women outside of To-Oh for quite some time.

A sigh escaped his lips as he looked to the side. The young man was well aware that despite everything that had happened between the two of you, he still harbored feelings for you. He knew that he shouldn't given how you had lied to him, but Light couldn't help himself – he had fallen head over heels for you. He loved how gifted you were and how he felt around you – not to mention the fact that you were one of the few women he had met who was able to have a deep conversation with him.

Still, Light found his own knowledge of you – his own behavior – disturbing.

The young man frowned again. _Given everything I knew from the past, what Kai and Riku presented, and the fact that Robin seems to be working for L under an apparent contract, she has to be the Robin Hood Hacker. There is no denying that - especially after what she was assigned to do for the Yotsuba mission. Still, I was sure of this before I knew she was L's agent... That and that other thing._

He held his arms as he looked down. _That picture was clearly Robin being carried by Mello. She was Beyond Birthday's final victim... but, how did I come across that article? It's in English from an obscure American newspaper. Why was I looking into that?_

Light closed his eyes. _I must have been trying to practice my English while keeping up with world events... Though, that was hardly an international event until he tried to commit murder in Japan, and that was after I already read the article._

He pursed his lips as he withheld a sigh. _Aside from that, I clearly remember seeing a comment saying the name of Beyond Birthday's only living victim, but it was on a Kira supporter website. Even if I see Kira's point in doing what he does, his methods are immoral, and I would not actively seek out one of his websites._

The former Kira suspect paused and furrowed his eyebrows. _Maybe I was just trying to figure out where I stand on the case, but my stance is clear now._

Still, a part of Light could not deny his sympathy for Kira. The young man heaved a sigh before trying to cast away his thoughts in favor of focusing on the case.

 

Elsewhere, you and Misa were walking around carrying bags filled with your newly-purchased clothes. The model really knew fashion better than you could ever hope, and that had turned out to be incredibly helpful throughout your shopping trip. As the two of you were heading back to meet with Matsuda, the topic of the conversation turned to a shared aspect of your history.

"You know, I'm glad that Light broke up with me," Misa admitted. "It just wasn't a healthy relationship."

You raised your eyebrows, almost surprised to hear this from the blonde. "Yeah. It's one of those things that hurts when it happens, but you feel a lot better after. I mean... I was investigating him when we started dating, but the dating part was still genuine – at least, _I_ was being genuine." You laughed as you turned to her again. "I still don't know which one of us came first, to be honest."

"I think I started dating him in the end of May," she told you. "It's weird... Normally this would be the sort of thing I memorize, but... I just can't remember the date."

"Well, whichever one of us he dated first, it still wasn't right of him to do."

"Yeah." She tilted her head as she reminisced, "You know, even when I gave Light all of my love, he never seemed to appreciate it."

You nodded. "He seemed genuine at the time, but he really was just a good actor. Right after you stopped by the school to say hi and that whole thing happened, he told me that you were just a crazy stalker. It was only really after I got back and you guys were released when I found out the truth."

Misa pouted. "Wow. What a jerk!" She huffed. "You know what? Who cares? Now that I have Hideki, even if it's only been for a month, I can tell that his love feels so much different."

"So... _real?"_

"Yeah. That's how I sort of figured this whole thing out," she explained. "But you know what? I'm glad that we ended up friends this way."

You laughed. "Yeah, we probably never would've spoken otherwise. Hey, thanks for helping me today. I never would've tried on half of these outfits if it weren't for your input."

Misa playfully elbowed your side. "Hey, I'm here to help. You have a really boring sense of fashion."

You furrowed your brows as you snapped, "I resent that!"

Taking it as a joke, she teased, "Then you'd better start taking notes from Misa's School of Fashion!"

You pouted as she skipped ahead of you a few steps. She had to be joking – you knew that – but her words still stung. Truth be told, you had been unusually sensitive these past few days. Even the knowledge of your own sensitivity was bothering you – which was pretty ridiculous when you thought about it. Shaking your head, you returned your thoughts to the present and raced after Misa.

*** * * September 25 * * ***

Mello had started working at Yotsuba two weeks ago, and you were called a week earlier to be informed that you got the job. He had only managed to bug a few offices and meeting rooms near the bottom of the building, planning to slowly work his way up. Given that it was the middle of the day and your boyfriend was working nights, he and Matt were sleeping. It had only been a month since you started dating, but not much had really changed in your relationship. You didn't really have time for dates with your busy schedules – especially after he got the job at Yotsuba – but you did make sure to see each other when you could. The only real difference was the level of physical contact between the two of you, and the lack of tension that had been present for so many months between you.

You were currently sitting with Near as you discussed how to go about your mission.

Your partner handed you a clear earpiece as he explained, "This is the same kind of transceiver that we have used in our previous missions. There is a GPS tracker in it just in case something goes wrong and I lose contact with you. Just as a reminder, it only transmits sound to me when you press the button on the side, but you will be able to hear me through the receiver at all times."

He then handed you a necklace with what appeared to be a black jewel on display. "This is the same one you used on our last mission. Not much has been changed. It still records sound and video through the gem, but there is a new switch on the side so you can turn it off. This will make coordination much easier when you use the restroom as opposed to sending me away for a few minutes."

Near twirled his hair as he reminded you, "When verbal responses are not possible, use the same gestures as last time – two taps means yes, playing with the necklace means no. If you need to convey something more complicated, type it when no one is looking and make sure to point the camera in the right direction. I will help you provide appropriate responses when needed and keep you up to date with important events here."

 

A few hours later, you were standing in the front lobby as you waited for your new coworker to come and escort you to the correct office. You were dressed in a formal women's suit, complete with fancy shoes and a nice jacket. The insides of your stomach began to churn again as you waited there. A part of you wondered if the stress was getting you sick, as you had felt this way for the past several days.

Another few minutes passed before a woman approached you. She was grinning as she made a beeline for you, her appearance made you think that she was in her mid-twenties. The woman had dark brown hair pulled up into a bun, though she let the shorter ends frame her face. You noted that her outfit was remarkably similar to yours – not surprising given the strict dress code you both had to adhere to.

The brunette stopped before you with a smile. "You're the new secretary, right? I'm Sora Fukuda, your new coworker, but you can just call me Sora. I'm looking forward to working with you."

You smiled at her and bowed your head. "It's nice to meet you, Sora. My name is Robin Wilson, but you can call me Robin if you wish."

Sora escorted you into the elevator and selected one of the floors in the middle of the building.

As you started moving upward, she commented, "It isn't often that I get a new coworker to train, let alone someone who's actually younger than me. I started working here when I was about your age."

The doors opened and you followed behind your coworker as she showed you to the office you would be working in. Inside the room were two desks facing each other on either side of the room, leaving a walkway between them and to the door of the executive you were both working for. Sora walked you over to the desk that was labelled with your alias and turned on your work computer.

She quickly wheeled her chair next to your before explaining, "Our main job is filing and organization of the company documents and finances in this division. By the way, all executives have two secretaries, a senior one and a newer one. The senior secretary focuses more on taking calls and organizing their executive's schedules and meetings and all that fun stuff. Once you've worked here for a few months, I'll start teaching you the more advanced things and we can split that work. It's especially helpful during the holidays since those always get super busy."

After her quick introduction, Sora showed you the ropes, explaining how to use the organizational programs, how to access your company email, how to access the calendar that you shared with Sora and your boss, how to use Microsoft Excel, and everything else you needed to do.

When the teaching session was over, she couldn't help but laugh. "Wow, you're a natural at this. I don't think you'll have any problems, but if you have any questions or need any help, don't be afraid to ask."

You thanked her for her help before she wheeled back over to her desk across the room and returned to her own work. With no one breathing down your neck anymore, you went straight to your mission. Over the past month, you and Matt developed a new crawler spyware to implant in Yotsuba's internal systems and let it steal files for exactly three months. You had to make sure that it would be returning to your office computer on a day and time when you would be working. After a quick check of the calendar, you learned that it would be on a weekday if you sent it now. Satisfied with that, you discreetly downloaded the crawler from your flashdrive to your computer and uploaded it to the system mainframe.

With that task complete, you turned your focus to doing the jobs that Sora had just explained to you. However annoying it was, you had to make sure to actually do your job so that you would still be here when the crawler returned. Clicking around, you opened the office calendar to check if there was anything you needed to get done sooner. Appointments and paperwork due dates were listed here and there, but you found the occasional 'X' every so many days.

Raising an eyebrow, you asked Sora, "What do the X's on the calendar mean?"

She paled and froze for a few moments before sheepishly explaining, "T-Those are my date nights, actually. My partner is obsessed with patterns like that."

"Oh, okay."

With that cleared up, you went back to work. At some point into your near-mindless work, the door to the office opened, revealing a tall man with a long face and jagged black hair pushed back behind his head.

Sora immediately sat up straight. "Good morning, Mr. Higuchi."

"Good morning, Sora. How are my girls doing?" he asked as he glanced to you.

She forced a smile at the man. "Everything is going smoothly – Robin's a natural."

The corners of his lips extended into a Cheshire-like grin before he turned and approached you. Higuchi leaned against the side of your desk, moving his jacket out of the way to expose himself more.

His eyes trailed up and down your body before he commented, "No one told me that my new secretary would be such a young beauty. How old are you, anyway?"

Near buzzed in through your earpiece. "You're twenty."

You couldn't help but shudder: his grin reminded you too much of Beyond's.

Still, you swallowed a gulp a muttered, "I-I'm twenty, sir."

Although you had not thought it possible, his grin grew even wider. "Really? Well, Robin, I would like to get to know you better."

He remained where he leaned, eyes taking in every detail of your appearance, pausing at some very inappropriate places. Disgust welled up inside you as you struggled to keep it hidden. Your mind was screaming for you to get as far away as possible from this predatory man.

Near tried to help to the best of his abilities. "Robin, take a deep breath and stay calm. We can't afford to get anyone fired yet in case they have ties to the Yotsuba Kira. Just ignore him for now and we'll report it when you quit."

You tapped twice in view of the camera to indicate your acknowledgement of his attempts to calm you. Before Higuchi could do anything more, Sora came to your rescue.

"Mr. Higuchi, you have a call waiting from your supervisor."

He mumbled a curse under his breath as he narrowed his eyes before disappearing into his office behind the door. With your boss finally gone, you released your pent up disgust, shuddering as your expression twisted in horror.

Your coworker frowned. "Sorry about that. He's always like that - it's awful."

You frowned. "Then why is he still here? Shouldn't you report it?"

The brunette sighed. "It's kind of a long story." She glanced to Higuchi's door before adding, "That call will probably take him a while, so I'll just tell you now – by the way, his office is sound proof. Anyway, when I started working here, he was mainly harassing his old secretary. She reported it after a while and was fired shortly after. Apparently the report never went into the system, though."

You nodded as you mentally noted that it had to have been around the same time you were targeting Yotsuba as Robin Hood – during the peak years of the company's corruption.

"Another secretary got hired and he started targeting both of us," Sora explained. "I kept with the job because I needed the money and the last secretary was still having trouble finding a job, so I didn't want to risk it. He cycled through a few more secretaries, but they never lasted more than a year."

She sighed. "He has been getting bolder in the past few months. The last secretary – your predecessor – tried to report him. It didn't go through, but... she started acting really weird after that. She started giving into his advances for a few weeks before dying in a freak accident."

Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, her voice shaky as she continued. "I-I think it was the stress that did her in, but she was so young." She sniffled. "I swear that I will not let it get to me. I will not cave into his crap."

You refocused your attention on Higuchi's door with a frown. _It sounds like he could be in league with Kira given the sudden strange actions of the last secretary, but what concerns me is that she didn't die of a heart attack. It's the only thing that doesn't fit._

 

After going through the security checks at the Task Force headquarters, you proceeded to the back room where the elevator was. As you looked up, you found that someone was there to greet you.

Light smiled brightly at you as he asked, "How was your day?"

You returned his genuine expression. "It was actually fairly nice with the exception of my new creepy boss, but you can't have everything run smoothly, so I'm thankful that my coworker seems like a nice person."

He nodded. "That's great to hear!"

You continued you chat into the elevator, though you couldn't help but notice again how changed he was. Although Light treated you with respect and as his mental equal – like he did at To-Oh – he had still been acting considerably different over the past few months. His eyes were brighter, and his smiles felt more genuine. It was almost as if his release from confinement completely washed away all his stress, leaving behind a happier young man.

Of course, that didn't change the fact that he had cheated on you and Misa, but you were over that. Light was a coworker and he was becoming a friend again – though you hoped that Mello didn't get jealous over the brunet's attempts to get closer to you. To be honest, you wouldn't blame him if that happened, but you really just wanted to get past that awkwardness between the two of you. It's not easy to work with someone with that tension hanging around.

You stopped at the investigation floor so you could debrief L on your observations for the day. The great detective was off to the side with Near when you entered the room, smiling as he beckoned you to come closer.

"Near informed us that you have new possible leads," he commented.

You nodded. "Yes."

You went on to explain your thoughts on Higuchi and what happened to your predecessor.

L pursed his lips as he thought for a few moments. "I see. Now, onto Miss Fukuda..."

"I highly doubt that she's Kira," you told him. "Her personality is nothing like our profile of him."

"She could just be acting," Light pointed out.

You frowned. "I know, but from what I understand, if she had Kira's powers, she would have killed Higuchi to protect herself and the previous secretaries he targeted."

The brunet accepted your reasons, and you turned to L.

"You should still be cautious around her, but she is not as high on the suspect list anymore," the great detective decided.

You agreed, but with nothing else to discuss, you headed upstairs to your room so you could change and take a shower. On the way up, you found Mello waiting for you outside your room. You grinned as you ran up to your boyfriend and wrapped your arms around him.

*** * * October 10 * * ***

With the passing of the third quarter came the confirmation that Yotsuba's stocks had risen considerably over the past several months. That wasn't the only big news that had come with the beginning of the month. The Japanese Chief of Police forced his detectives to either drop the investigation or quit the force. All but Aizawa decided to stick with the Task Force, with L and Watari paying them just as they paid you and your colleagues.

You had been working at Yotsuba for a few weeks now, and it has taken up most of your time. Thanks to that, you have only really been able to talk to Near and L consistently. Ironically enough, you saw Light more often than Mello – your friendship fully repaired again.Since you and Mello had opposing work schedules, there was only a few hour window each day between your shifts when you were both awake and at headquarters. If you were being honest with yourself, it was putting a bit of a strain on your relationship. You had been trying not to think about it, but the truth was still there.

Even though you haven't had much of a social life with anyone on the Task Force lately, you had still been able to learn a lot about the people you work with at Yotsuba. Higuchi was as disgusting with his advances as he was on your first day, though you quickly learned that he was incredibly skilled when it comes to making decisions to better the company. It was no wonder that he was so highly ranked.

You also learned a great deal about your coworker, Sora. As it turned out, she was a dreamer and quite the romantic. She warmed up to you very quickly, eventually admitting that she has tried to get higher up in the company for the sake of the pay, but it seemed as if her applications never went through. Given that she put up with Higuchi's advances without reporting it, you reasoned that it was his doing.

Ultimately, you decided that she couldn't be Kira. Like you told the others during your initial assessment, she would have killed Higuchi just to escape from him if she had Kira's power.

The other thing you learned about Sora is that she was probably one of the biggest gossips you had ever met – perfect for getting information that could help the investigation. You had even made it a habit to start going out to lunch every day with her just for that sake.

Once again, you were both out to eat at what had become your usual café only a short walk from the Yotsuba building. After ordering your meals, you continued your conversation – which mostly comprised of you listening to her gossip.

"...and the nerve of Mitsuki to say that just because I don't want kids," she ranted. "What a bitch."

You briefly acknowledged her woes before taking a sip of your drink.

Your coworker pursed her lips before asking, "Hey, Robin, what are your ambitions? Like, do you actually want to stay with Yotsuba?"

You shrugged. "I'm happy where I am."

She nodded her head pensively as the food came out. The two of you started eating as Sora recounted to you the most recent gossip that she had been hearing. For the most part, they were your standard rumors: an affair amongst coworkers on the tenth floor, a woman bribing an executive with sex for higher pay, a budding relationship between a secretary and a janitor, and an executive who's bowel problems led to a quarantined men's restroom – all worded with significantly more vulgarity as she described the situations to you.

As she finished up her meal, she added, "And I heard that there's this super-secret meeting that happens every Friday in one of the upper conference rooms during some really freaking weird hours. I kept asking around, but nobody knows anything else or who even goes to the meetings. It's like there's some crazy conspiracy shit going on."

It seemed as though there were two rumors worth investigating – the bribery and the secret meetings. You grinned as you silently thanked whatever luck brought you into working with someone who loves gossiping so much. You were most interested in the bribery case, especially given that Kira seemed to be aiming to rise up in the company. You were hoping that Near would inform L of this new information immediately, but just to be sure, you sent a text to Mello, Matt, and Light. A few minutes passed before you and Sora finished your meals and were about to make the return trip to the Yotsuba building.

"I'll be right back," you told her. "I just need to run to the restroom."

The brunette furrowed her eyebrows. "Again? You know, you've been going a lot more this week. Between that and you being so nauseous every morning - don't deny it, I see you sneaking meds every day - but, it almost sounds like you're pregnant."

You laughed as a blush dusted your cheeks pink. "Well, that's one possibility, but I'm pretty sure I'd know if that were the case."

Sora raised an eyebrow, her tone dripping with skepticism. "Alright, if you say so. Now go pee, we're gonna be late."

As you rushed off to the bathroom to do your business, you couldn't help but think seriously about what she had suggested. You and Mello had sex one time, and it was well over a month ago – surely you would have noticed if something were wrong?

The moment that thought crossed your mind, your lips tightened into a thin line. You did miss your period last week, but you blew it off as stress-related. Still, you spotted right around the time you started dating, but that wasn't necessarily a guarantee against the possibility.

A shaky sigh pushed its way through your airway. No matter how fearful you were of the answer, you needed to be certain. You resolved to turn off your surveillance necklace and stop at a pharmacy on your way home from work to purchase a pregnancy test so you could find the truth in the privacy of your room.

 

You were standing in your bathroom as you desperately tried to hold back your tears. Although you were hoping that this wasn't the case, every test came back positive: you were undoubtedly pregnant, and that terrified you. The first possibility that came to your mind was death during childbirth. You had no idea who your birth mother was. Did she die giving birth to you? Did it run in families? Even if you survived, the idea of having to go through such pain again was horrifying. What if it was so bad that you had flashbacks throughout the whole thing?

Even if childbirth went without a hitch, you still felt immense guilt for bringing a child into such a cruel and dangerous world. Whispers at the back of your mind worried if you could ever be a good mother having grown up without one. You closed your eyes and shakily inhaled in an attempt to calm your racing mind and ignore the fears for now. It was clear that the hormones of the pregnancy were already affecting your mind to give you lesser reasoning skills, and that could be dangerous for your mission.

If that wasn't bad enough, a part of you feared that Mello wouldn't want a child and would leave you behind so that he wouldn't have to deal with being a father. You furrowed your eyebrows, hands beginning to tremble ever so slightly as the scenario played out in your mind. There would be an argument, he would leave – never to be seen or heard from again – leaving you alone to raise your child.

No, you had to remind yourself that the worst possibility wasn't necessarily the most likely. Although you were unsure if you wanted to tell him for fear of the worst, you knew that you couldn't do this alone. Your hormones were already running rampant and turning your mind into a mush, giving you this panicky and pessimistic attitude in addition to hindering your ability to use reason... like figuring out that a missed period was pretty damn important. Besides, even if you had only been dating for a bit over a month, he was still your boyfriend and he would find out sooner or later.

You scowled as you mentally chastised yourself for falling prey to these tricky hormones. With a deep breath, you tried to calm yourself so you could think rationally. A quick check of the clock told you that Mello should have woken up about an hour ago and that he should still be here. After a moment of hesitation, you took out your phone and dialed his number.

You sniffled and tried to wipe your falling tears as you asked, "C-Could you meet me in my room, please?"

His tone was urgent. "I'll be right there."

A sigh escaped your lips as you waited, trying to ignore your flowing tears and trembling body. You waited a few minutes before you heard the door to your suite open. You peeked out the bathroom door and beckoned him to come to you.

He rushed over, hands immediately rising to wipe your tears as he softly asked, "What's wrong?"

You pointed behind you as you stuttered through your tears, "C-Counter."

Mello furrowed his eyebrows as he looked over to see what you were talking about.

You hushed your voice just barely above a whisper as you added, "I... I'm pregnant, Mello."

His eyes went wide as he took in your words, glancing from you to the multiple positive tests sitting on the counter. There was a silence between the two of you as the blond stared off at nothing, eyebrows furrowed together, and you began to fear the worst. He was going to leave you behind, wasn't he?

"But... I pulled out..." he mumbled breathlessly.

Your eyebrow twitched as your temper flared. "Well, obviously that's not a good birth control method because I'm pregnant!" Tears immediately welled in your eyes. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell."

Before your mind could fully spiral out of control, Mello pulled you into a tight hug. "Calm down. I'll be by your side no matter what – Hell, I waited for you back when you dated Light, remember? We'll get through this together."

Your eyes went wide as you looked up at the blond. He was giving you a genuine smile – not his smirk for once – and you couldn't help but return it.

It was then that Mello's smile grew lopsided as he teased, "And I thought you were emotional before all this. Man are we in for one Hell of a ride over the next seven months."

A fierce blush rushed to your cheeks as you stammered, "S-Shut up!"

He laughed as you wrapped your arms around him. You buried your burning face into his neck as he held you even closer.


	26. Suspects

*** * * October 13 * * ***

Ever since you revealed that you were pregnant with his child, Mello had been spending more time with you whenever possible – sitting by your side when you were both at headquarters, getting up earlier for the sake of seeing you and making sure that you were okay. The two of you did manage to get Watari alone to ask for his help in getting a gynecologist to help you along with the checkups that are supposed to occur throughout a pregnancy, and to get a prescription for prenatal medications to ensure the health of your unborn child.

It was a relief that your boyfriend was being so helpful, though a nagging voice in the back of your mind couldn't help but comment on how unorthodox the relationship was. You had only been dating for about a month and a half and yet here you were, two months pregnant with his child. Not to mention the fact that you still barely saw him anymore, so you carried the burden of your secret alone most of the time. It took all your will to ignore your pessimistic thoughts, but they still weighed on your mood as you tried to focus on your mission.

It was near the end of your shift and you were eagerly awaiting the time when you could return to headquarters. Thanks to some digging, you were able to narrow the bribery suspects down to three women. After a glance to make sure that your coworker was preoccupied and that Higuchi was still in his office, you quickly rushed off to hack into the suspects' computers one by one. Not willing to stay there too long and risk getting caught, you downloaded all their files and emails to access from your computer back in your room.

Just as you finished, Near chimed in through your earpiece. "Soichiro just discovered that Kira's murders all take place between Friday nights and Saturday afternoons. This leads us to be more suspicious of the meetings, but you should continue to investigate the briberies."

You were fine with following those orders – after all, it was better to cover all your bases just in case the assumptions were wrong. You tapped twice in front of the camera to acknowledge Near's words. 

When your shift was finally over and you were back at headquarters, you retreated to your room and began to change into something more comfortable than your work attire. While you were in the middle of taking off your uniform, you heard a knock at the door.

Before you could answer, a familiar voice called out, "Hey, it's me."

The door then opened and Mello let himself in, approaching you as he explained, "Our appointment is on Monday after you get out. I told my boss that I'm going to be late that day, so he's fine with it. Watari's bringing in someone he trusts." 

Your cheeks were dusted a light pink as you covered yourself and shyly turned away from him. Trying to ignore your embarrassment, you muttered a quiet thanks. He caught onto your discomfort and sighed before looking away to allow you to change.

When you turned back to Mello, he folded his arms and he leaned against the wall, looking down with a slight smile on his face as he admitted, "I'm still processing everything. I can't believe I'm gonna be a dad." He looked up at you. "I don't even know what it's like to have one."

You sighed as you looked down and held your arms. "I don't know what it's like to have parents either. Honestly, I'm really scared that I'm going to mess this up."

He put his hands over yours and smiled encouragingly. "Hey, we'll get through this together."

"Y-Yeah..."

"Anyway," he continued. "Ryuzaki said that you were going to go through those files to figure out who I should focus on, right?"

"Right."

With your task at the forefront of your mind again, you made your way to your computer and opened the files that you downloaded from the bribery suspects, Mello standing behind you as he watched on to help. The first set of files you opened belonged to a woman named Akira Watanabe, a financial analyst on the ninth floor. Her company profile showed you that she was a slightly overweight woman with short hair and a warm smile.

According to the photographs she had saved as her background and screen saver, Akira was a mother of three children. Her emails indicated that she was having an extramarital affair with one of the executives on her floor, a man named Takeshi Ooi. Further investigation revealed that he was the vice president of the Yotsuba VT Enterprises. You looked through Akira's bank accounts that were linked to her computer, but none of them indicated any bribery between them.

"She's a financial expert," Mello commented. "I wouldn't be surprised if she was able to hide something."

You pursed your lips. "I know, but the contents of the emails between Akira and Takeshi seem to convey genuine infatuation – ignoring her history of infidelity. I really don't think that she's the Yotsuba Kira, or at least the woman from those rumors."

You closed out her files and opened your next set. These new ones belonged to a secretary on the tenth floor named Rin Tamura. Her company profile revealed that she was a beautiful woman in her early thirties – everything about her appearance from her makeup to her outfit just screamed seductress. As you went through her files, you found an encrypted folder that she was clearly trying to keep hidden. Naturally, it took you only a few seconds to break your way into it. Inside you found thousands of photos and videos, many depicting a man who you had seen roaming the halls from time to time. He was clearly an executive, though you couldn't recall his name. Not to mention that many of the videos and pictures were pornographic, depicting Rin and the man together much earlier in the year.

After exiting the folder, you checked her emails. While her Yotsuba email gave you nothing of importance, there was a private email account that she had gone to great lengths to hide. It was clear that she was using this account to blackmail the man in the photos, who was apparently the executive she worked for – a man named Suguru Shimura. It seemed that Rin had never accessed her bank accounts from her work computer, so you had no way of knowing if Suguru was giving her money to keep her quiet.

"She seems more ambitious than the first one," Mello pointed out. "But, if she had Kira's powers, she would be threatening him with death, not blackmail." 

You nodded. "That's true."

After that discussion, you moved on to the final set of files. These belonged to a newly appointed executive named Yuko Noguchi. She was wearing thinly framed glasses and wasn't smiling in her ID picture. Yuko's company profile revealed that she was eight years older than you. At first glance she appeared to be a fiercely determined woman – though this could also be easily grasped from the fact that she was the only female executive in all of Yotsuba. The lack of any personal photos, backgrounds, or emails also told you that she clearly put all her focus on her work – after all, she had more to prove in the male-dominated Yotsuba Corporation. She was incredibly clean, almost to a suspicious degree. No unusual salary. No blackmail. Nothing. Only the idea that a woman being so high up in Yotsuba would be easiest accomplished through bribery.

"I'm not sure how she got on this list, but I think she's even less suspicious than that secretary you work with," Mello told you. "Anyway, who do you want me to get samples from first? It should probably take about a week for the lab to process the first sample and compare it to the one I found in the lounge, maybe longer."

A few moments passed before you decided, "You should focus on Yuko Noguchi. I know that you don't agree with me on this, but to be that clean is suspicious. Maybe she's not the woman from Sora's rumors, but she could easily be involved in something nefarious."

Your boyfriend agreed to follow your request. With that decided, you moved to shut down your computer. Just before you could give the command, a notification popped onto your screen. It seemed that someone had gone through the lengthy and difficult process of contacting Eraldo Coil to request an investigation into L – of course, there was a large sum of money being offered by this anonymous client.

You and Mello exchanged glances before your fingers flew across the keyboard, tracing the request back to the source. Whoever contacted you was clearly cautious, having devised an elaborate trail with several leads that were barely still detectable. Although it took you longer than you had hoped to complete the trace, you eventually found that you were contacted by a Japanese man named Masahiko Kida – a Yotsuba Executive.

"Just more evidence that Kira is in Yotsuba," Mello commented.

The corners of your lips dipped into a slight frown. "Yes, but is he Kira or just being manipulated by him? I'll have to check if he has a connection to Yuko, Rin, or Akira when I go back to work on Monday."

After powering down your computer, the two of you rushed down to the investigation floor to inform the others of your findings. The elevator doors opened, revealing your coworkers. Some of the Japanese detectives were doing paperwork in the corner while others were watching the surveillance feeds of Misa's room. Matt was getting all set up for his shift with Mello. Near was discussing your day with L and Light near the wall of screens that was monitoring Mello's planted cameras. You approached the geniuses with your news.

L smiled at you as he asked, "So, have you narrowed down our list of suspects yet?"

You sighed. "Not exactly. Things just got more complicated." 

He frowned. "How on Earth did you manage to do that?"

You felt a knot grow in your stomach and a tightness in your chest as you looked down. Mello put a hand on the small of your back in a subtle attempt to calm your nerves before you glanced back up at your boss. From the corner of your eye, you caught a soft frown on Light's lips. Perhaps he figured out that you and Mello were dating? Wait, that didn't matter. You needed to focus.

Turning to L, you told him, "I narrowed down my original list, but I just received a request for Coil to look into you. It was from a Yotsuba Executive."

He pursed his lips. "We should investigate this person with top priority." L continued, "In the meantime, someone should call him back as Coil to throw him off our trail. You and Near are too busy during the day to do this, so your roles as Coil will temporarily move elsewhere."

Light glanced between you and Near with furrowed brows, but kept his silence.

The raven-haired detective turned toward Matt. "Were you listening just now?"

The computer genius nodded.

"Good. You will act as Coil over the next few weeks," the great detective decided. "Drive up the price to see just how desperate he is, and be prepared to feed him false information should he choose to hire you."

"Sure. I can do that." The redhead grinned slyly. "I actually have a few ideas in mind – I'll make sure to have fun with it."

L nodded. "Just make sure that he can't trace-"

"Uh, guys?" Light interrupted, his face turned away from the group and toward the Yotsuba surveillance screens.

You followed his gaze to find that a small group of men was entering one of the conference rooms.

"Conference room six," L mumbled. "Robin, are any meetings scheduled for that room right now?"

"There shouldn't be any meetings past four o'clock," you told him.

He grinned. "Then we have found our secret meeting."

Everyone approached the screens to listen to the contents of the meeting, hoping for some hint that it was related to Kira. You watched as all eight men settled around the table. As you looked around at the faces your eyes went wide and your stomach twisted into a knot. Mello's gaze had clearly landed on the same person and he clenched his fists tightly as he scowled at the screen.

"Higuchi," Near pointed out.

L pursed his lips. "Didn't you say that his last secretary died suspiciously?"

"Yes, but not of a heart attack."

He grinned. "Then perhaps we should look more into the possibility that Kira can kill in other ways."

You frowned. "He's not the only suspicious person there. The man sitting across from him is Masahiko Kida, the man who requested Coil to look into you. Next to Higuchi is Takeshi Ooi, who is the man that one of my suspects is having an affair with. A few seats away from him is Suguru Shimura, the executive who is being blackmailed by one of my other suspects."

"Then all of them are suspicious," Mello suggested.

Near twirled his hair and stared at the screens as he argued, "Not necessarily. They haven't begun the meeting yet, so we don't know if this is truly related to Kira or not."

There was a silence amongst the investigators for a few moments before the bald one – Takeshi Ooi – spoke. "We shall commence our regular meeting. Let us discuss for the brighter future of Yotsuba, whom to kill."

There was an array of gasps throughout the members of the Task Force, most notably from the Yagami's.

"But first we must discuss a matter of importance," Ooi added before turning to one of the men present. "Kida, did you send Kira's request to Coil yet?"

The bespectacled man nodded his head. "Yes. I sent out the request last week, but he hasn't contacted me back yet."

Inside headquarters, Matsuda furrowed his eyebrows and turned to L. "Then why did Robin only get the message today?"

"It takes about a week and multiple contact points to get the message to her," L explained. "This protects the identity of Coil."

Turning your attention back to the screens, a man you didn't recognize spoke – a stocky man with blond hair and a beard. "So, I guess we just wait until he gets back to us."

There appeared to be a general sense of agreement from the group except for the executive who is being blackmailed by his secretary, Suguru Shimura.

He hesitated before suggesting, "Shouldn't we also consider the possibility that Coil could be a member of some kind of police force or even an agent of L's?"

Higuchi rolled his eyes. "We cunningly contrived to ensure that those deaths brought us profit indirectly and discreetly. No one should suspect us, and even L shouldn't know that Kira can kill with more than heart attacks. How can he possibly connect us to Kira?"

"But if he does find out, it's still a possibility that he could sell us out," the nervous man argued.

Ooi commented, "Shimura, you always think things in such negative ways."

"No, I'm just pointing out the possibilities."

"All the possibilities you come up with are negative ones," Ooi added. "You can stop worrying. It's time that we returned to the main topic anyway."

Part way into the blunt discussion of who to kill next, one of the men you didn't recognize became increasingly agitated, fidgeting in his seat until he couldn't take it anymore. "I... don't know which one of you is Kira, but I want to leave this team. I don't want to get involved too much and wind up getting caught as a criminal."

Higuchi chuckled before commenting, "You are so dead Hatori, probably by tomorrow..."

You couldn't help but tense at the bold statement, all blood draining from your face at the ever increasing prospect that you were working directly under Kira. Your heart started to pound and beat more rapidly as the insides of your stomach began to churn.

Near caught the expression on your face a quietly assured you, "You'll be fine. Take a deep breath and calm down."

Following his suggestion, you took a shaky inhale. Mello subtly reached over and touched your hand in an attempt to reassure you that you were safe right now. No longer in a panic, you refocused on the screens again.

As Hatori attempted to save face and his life, the others began to discuss the possibilities of him actually being Kira. It was made clear to you that the members of the group had no idea who Kira actually was. After the argument, the meeting proceeded as expected. The group decided on a few people to kill and benefit the company. They briefly mentioned that Kira left parameters regarding how to request a murder, implying that he has the original Kira's powers of needing both a face and a name to kill. Once the meeting was over, the men dispersed.

There was a short silence amongst the investigators before Mello spoke up. "Given the way Higuchi seemed so confident in telling Hatori that he will die soon, he seems to be the most suspicious of the group. I don't think that Robin should keep working for him."

"She has an alias," Near argued. "She will be safe from him."

"Besides, we need to wait another two months for that program to get back," Matt added.

Mello frowned, but refrained from arguing any further.

"What about Ooi?" Matsuda suggested. "He was leading the meeting, so it makes the most sense that he would be Kira."

"Don't forget that some of those men have connections to Robin's suspects," Light added. "It's too early to narrow it down to one person just yet."

L nodded. "I agree, but those listed appear more suspicious than the others." He turned to you. "Remember to press your emergency button if you are in danger."

With that said, the investigators dispersed. Mello pursed his lips before sighing. He made his way to Matt to plan out tonight's mission, leaving you there with your thoughts. You couldn't deny that Mello had a point. Higuchi acted among the cockiest of the group, making him the most suspicious in your eyes. You would have to keep a more careful eye on him from here on out. You briefly locked eyes with Light, who had apparently been scrutinizing you, before stepping away.

 

Later that night, on the other side of the city, Kira and their associate were meeting again as Rem watched on apathetically.

The owner of the notebook tensed as they turned to the woman. "But... I-I don't want to kill Hatori. He has always been so nice to me..."

She narrowed her eyes for a brief moment. "You have to show dominance. The prediction was made, so it has to happen now."

Kira's shoulders drooped as they looked down, despair clear in their eyes.

The woman pursed her lips for a few moments before slinking to Kira's side and tracing a finger under their chin. "I know you don't want to do this, babe, but it's for the best. I would do it for you, but we can't have both of us in danger from that horrid rule." She grinned and tugged down her shirt as she leaned into Kira's view, the latter blushing as the woman purred, "I'll make it worth your while."

A few drops of blood dripped from Kira's nose as they haphazardly reached back for the Death Note.

*** * * October 19 * * ***

You were sitting at your desk in Higuchi's office doing your work as usual. It had been about a week since the Task Force eavesdropped on the Yotsuba Kira's meeting, but you were still only in the preparatory phases of your investigations. Mello gathered the samples you requested him to focus on, but there was a long wait at the lab to be tested. In the meantime, you were planning a way to further investigate the women on your own.

The others were preoccupied with investigating those who attended the Kira meeting, needing more manpower for the group that was more likely to contain Kira. You learned in your weekly newsletter that the CEO's son, Arayoshi Hatori, was found dead earlier in the week, pointing the identity of Kira even more toward Higuchi and the Kira group he was in. Near had also informed you earlier that morning that Matt was calling finally Kida as Coil.

As you waited to hear from Near, Sora called out to you. "So, what are you going to wear to the Gala next month?"

You hesitated. "I wasn't aware that one was coming up..."

"Don't tell me you didn't read the notice on the board? We have it every autumn after the third quarter ends," she explained. "It's on the 10th this year. It's a company-wide thing that's mandatory to attend – even the maintenance staff has to come."

Before she could go further, she got another call. Sora apologized before taking it and patching it in to Higuchi. Your coworker kept trying to tell you about the dress she bought for this year's event, but she was soon inundated with calls and unable to continue her conversation. Not much later, Higuchi emerged from his office in a hurry.

Near chimed in through your earpiece, "They are having an emergency meeting. I'll have Matt patch you into the audio feed."

You tapped twice in view of the camera to acknowledge his statements.

It wasn't long before the meeting commenced.

"Now, let's commence our emergency meeting. Have a look at the documents on your desk for details..." one of the men, presumably Ooi, began.

"I think Kida was wise in taking cautious actions on the phone," another suggested.

A third man argued, "I don't think not saying a word was a wise thing to do. We requested the investigation, and not replying to it might raise suspicion."

You heard Higuchi laugh dryly. "You bunch of fools. Raise suspicion? Try to understand that it's not that kind of level anymore."

Another man chimed in, one whose voice seemed familiar. "Higuchi is right. Coil has a pretty good idea of what we are doing. Otherwise, why would he mention the hush money?"

"How far is pretty good?" asked the man Higuchi made fun of.

"Think about it. It's logical for Coil to want to find out who his client is," the smarter one argued back. "And if he wants to know, then he will find out. If he can't do that, then he is no good as a private detective. This is only logical – it's not rocket science."

One of the more blunt, but logical executives added, "So he found out that his client works for Yotsuba, but he didn't stop there. He found out about the growth of Yotsuba during the recent months... and then eventually the secret behind it."

"So that means," Ooi began. "Coil already figured out that Kida has a connection with Kira."

Shimura, the cautious one, commented, "T-That's not good. Maybe we should consider the possibility of Coil really being an agent."

"Drop it, Shimura." Ooi commanded. "We already discussed this last week, and we won't let your pessimism hinder our decision making."

"R-Right."

Another man brought the conversation back to the point. "So, what are we going to do? If Coil knows about us and Kira, then we definitely need to pay three million for the hush money..."

"If we are paying the three million dollars, I'd say we are better off killing Coil once he finds out the identity of L," Higuchi suggested.

"How do we kill him?" Ooi asked. "We don't even know his face."

"We'll set him a condition and ask him to show up," your boss explained. "One of us can contact him and take a snap or something."

"We won't know that it is Coil."

"But we know his voice from the call, right?"

Ooi paused before admitting, "There's a possibility that the voice on the call was his agent."

"Would a detective let his agent mention a word like 'hush money'?" Higuchi argued. "I don't think so."

The smarter man from earlier finally chimed in again to insinuate that he believed Higuchi to be Kira, especially given that he is so set on killing Coil. Namikawa then added that Coil also knows that Kira wants intelligence so that he can raise his social status, especially after the blow that the Robin Hood Hacker dealt to the company a few years prior. After further coming to the conclusion that Coil would be an asset, the group decided to pay him more than double what he asked for.

Soon, the sounds of the conference room were replaced by Near. "L and Light are fighting again." 

You were impressed at Namikawa's deductive skills, and how cool and collected he was throughout the meeting. It reminded you of how L said that Light acted when asked to think from Kira's point of view, but that was exactly why you were less inclined to believe that Namikawa was Kira.

You heard a woman chattering in the background before your partner huffed a sigh. "Fine. Misa overheard your conversation and she wants to take you shopping for your dress."

The chattering resumed.

"...and to 'do your hair up and paint your nails,'" he relayed. "Ryuzaki says you have to go." His voice got quieter as he addressed the model. "She said yes. Now go away."

You frowned. Thanks to her career, Misa was more aware of the weights of others than your average person. However illogical it may have been, your rampant hormones led you to fear the possibility of her noticing the small amount that you had put on due to the growing fetus inside you. The only people who knew were you, Mello, and Watari, and you really didn't want her to be the one to spread the rumor around to everyone.

Near interrupted your thoughts to add, "Mello is coming with you." 

You sighed in the relief. He must have anticipated your reaction and offered to keep Misa from noticing. He really was very sweet when he felt like it. Maybe that would make you feel better on a normal day, but all you could do was think back to how little you saw each other. A sigh escaped your lips as you tried to cast the thought from your mind.

 

It was late when you finally made it back to headquarters – so late that Mello already had to leave for his shift at Yotsuba. As usual, you met with L, Light, and Near to discuss your day at work and any new findings, though most of that discussion had already taken place while you were gone.

After going through what few observations you had to add, L turned the topic back to the office you worked in. "How was Miss Fukuda today?"

"Back to normal," you told him. "I think she just had a rough weekend. This was the first time that someone in the company was directly killed by Kira, so she was probably on edge from that. It reminded me of when she talked about the weird events that led to my predecessor's death."

He nodded before asking, "And Higuchi?"

"As confident as ever," you relayed. "I think it seems more and more likely that he's the man we're looking for."

The corners of his lips curved upward. "So it seems. Continue your work as usual, Robin. I still want to see those files that your program will uncover before making a full decision."

With the conclusion of your short meeting, you stood to head to your suite and change into more comfortable clothes. Light followed you into the elevator with a frown.

As the doors closed, separating the two of you from the others, he commented, "I know that Ryuzaki doesn't want you to do this, but you're right about Higuchi's suspicious behavior and I think that you would be safer if you quit. Just let Mello investigate from a less involved position. I don't want you to get hurt."

A sigh escaped your lips. "I know that you mean well, Light, but wouldn't quitting so suddenly just make me seem even more suspicious?" He tightened his lips into a thin line and you added, "I'll be okay. No one knows my real name there – not even you know it."

The corners of his lips twitched into a frown as he asked, "What if the Yotsuba Kira somehow acquires the second Kira's abilities to kill with just a face?"

You pursed your lips as your fingers absentmindedly ghosted against your abdomen. It wouldn't just be your life in danger anymore. You didn't even know how Kira's powers worked or how the second Kira was able to kill with less information. Maybe Light was right and the abilities could transform over time. Still, as you had argued before, quitting would be highly suspicious. The doors opened, letting you both onto the floor that you shared with Misa.

After taking a deep breath to calm your nerves, you told him, "There isn't anything I can do about that. If Kira really wanted to kill me, he could easily get the security footage from the building and just get my face from that even if I quit. As dangerous as it is, it's still safer for me to stay." A few moments passed before you admitted, "I do appreciate how much you're trying to help, though."

Light smiled and put a hand on your shoulder. "I'll always be here when you need me."

You couldn't help but shift away to remove yourself from his touch. The brunet furrowed his brows and retracted his hand with such speed that it almost seemed like you had burned him. Hugging your arms, you looked away. It was definitely a good thing that Mello was gone, because if he saw the two of you like this... well, you would probably be getting an earful of his jealousy for a long time. Aside from that, you still had your reasons for shying away.

With a glance to Misa's door, you whispered, "Why did you do it?" A few moments passed before you turned back to your ex-boyfriend. "Misa and I can't even figure out who you started dating first."

He pursed his lips as he looked down. "I wish that I could give you a straight answer, but... I can't even remember meeting Misa. I'm not sure how or when she and I got together, but I do remember her following me home one day and introducing herself as my girlfriend before I had even met her."

You scowled. Misa didn't really seem the type to do that from what you knew of her – at least, she didn't do that to Hideki. Then again, she didn't remember any details about when she and Light started dating. Maybe there was some truth to his story after all.

"All I remember from that time are all those happy moments you and I spent together," he continued. "I never should have just gone with what she said, especially since it led to you and I breaking up. I may not know anything about your life before we met, nor do I even know your name, but that doesn't stop me from thinking about you every day. I know that I still love you, but I understand why you wouldn't want to forgive me."

Your heart skipped a beat as you clenched your fists and looked away. "No. Stop it. Don't do this to me again. You and I... we can't be together."

When you turned back to Light, he was frowning slightly. "So you and Mello _are_ dating."

Your eyebrows sunk down as your hand twitched toward your abdomen again. "It's none of your..." You narrowed your eyes. "You know what? Yes, I'm dating Mello now!"

He pursed his lips and nodded to himself. "I thought so." As he looked you in the eye, he added, "That doesn't change my feelings. I'll still be here for you to fall back on. Just know that."

You opened your mouth with the words 'I know' ready to be spoken, but you knew better than to admit that – especially while under surveillance. Tightening your lips into a thin line you turned your back to him, tears beginning to accumulate at the corners of your eyes. You knew damn well that he came to greet you every day when you returned from your shift at Yotsuba. You knew that it had come to the point where you saw him more often than your own boyfriend – and maybe you _did_ really enjoy Light's company as of late, but you were pregnant with Mello's child. He was trying to see you more often – at least, it seemed like that. What if he got bored of you or this whole messed up situation and left? What if it turned out that you really didn't love each other? You were still having his child. What would you do then?

You slammed the door shut behind you before leaning against it and closing your eyes. Tears streamed down your cheeks as you sunk to the floor and buried your head in your knees.

*** * * October 26 * * ***

It had been a busy week since the Yotsuba Kira group had their emergency meeting regarding Coil. They set up a new meeting at an irregular time to go over the information and quickly learned that their hire had basically screwed them out of their money – much to Matt's and Mello's amusement. Despite the increasing suspicions of the group which holds the Kira meetings, you and Mello still had to thoroughly investigate the three women that you had narrowed down. Given that two of your suspects were in low positions in their offices, it wouldn't be too difficult to orchestrate a reason for Higuchi to send you to their offices. Although you could say the same for your third suspect, given that she was an executive, you decided that it would be too risky to speak to her in person and question your similar appearances. Truthfully, you were wary of approaching any of the suspects without arresting them. Rather than risk it, you decided to use your resources to your advantage – and it certainly helped to have the gossip queen of Yotsuba as your colleague.

You and Sora were having lunch at the café again. You had made it a habit to ask about random people over the past week or so in attempt to make it seem normal before you asked about your true suspects. After she excitedly went on about the upcoming gala for a while, you decided to finally get to your mission and ask about the woman you found most suspicious.

"So, what do you know about Yuko Noguchi?"

Sora shrugged as she picked at her meal. "Not much. There was a big buzz about her when she was promoted and some rumors that she had to have gone about some sketchy ways to get there, but honestly she doesn't seem the type. She's one of those people who's all work and no play – a real stick in the mud. Hell, I don't even think she's dating anybody. Why do you ask?"

"I heard some people talking about her while I was in the restroom," you explained. "I was curious to know if the rumors were true or not."

"Gotcha." She nodded. "Seriously, though, I doubt they're true this time."

You smiled before asking, "And what about Rin Tamura?"

Almost immediately she tensed as the corners of her lips dropped into a frown. "...Why do you want to know?"

Your expression mirrored hers – you've never seen Sora's attitude change so quickly, and that in itself was a red flag. "I... heard her name mentioned while passing people – all on separate occasions – and I was getting curious about why she was such a common topic."

Sora tightened her lips into a thin line before sighing. "They call her the shadow CEO. It may not be official, but she has more power than even most executives – and more people under her control than you realize. She's not someone you want to mess with, and – for your own sake, and mine – don't ask about her again."

You pursed your lips as you nodded and allowed your coworker to change the subject. Maybe it wasn't something you would normally do, but you needed to search into this shadow CEO a little further.

 

When you returned from work that day, you had managed to catch Mello before he had to leave again. While you knew that there was no way to change when his shift began and when yours ended, you couldn't help but relax into his arms as a wave a calmness washed over you. Life had been too stressful lately, and having no one to talk to about your secret pregnancy was making it even more difficult.

The two of you were silent for a few minutes before you spoke up. "Mello... thank you for sticking with me."

The blond raised an eyebrow briefly before giving you a comforting smile. "Hey, I said I would, didn't I?" A few moments passed before he asked, "What's wrong?"

You sighed. "Honestly... I'm just really terrified about this whole thing. I... we only found out three weeks ago, but I've been carrying for over two months now. I feel so stupid for not recognizing the symptoms sooner."

He stroked your hair. "Hey, if it makes you feel better, I should've been able to figure it out just by you being so emotional and having so many mood swings. Not to mention how sick you get every morning. We were both being stupid."

You pursed your lips as you looked away. "That's... that's the other weird thing. We haven't even known each other for a year and yet..."

"Yeah, that's true, but most people who only know each other for that long aren't living together and seeing each other all the time," he argued. "Even when you went to To-Oh, we still spent a lot of time together. Don't worry about it so much."

You frowned. "But we hardly ever see each other now! I know there's a reason, but that doesn't change the fact that it's happening!"

Mello sighed and held you closer. "I know. It won't be for too long. We'll both have to try to stay off missions after your three months are up. We'll probably have to tell Ryuzaki the truth, but I think he'll listen." He kissed your forehead as he added, "I'll be there more once this is over – I promise."


	27. Jealous Hearts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A nice [mostly] relaxing chapter before we pick up the pace.

*** * * November 6 * * ***

If you had learned anything from your time at To-Oh with Light, it was that you were pretty good at seeming innocent. With that in mind and Sora's reaction when you asked about Rin Tamura, you decided to start cozying up to the alleged Shadow CEO. Sometimes it paid to be bold like Mello. Surely she would start trusting you enough to spill the beans after having lunch together enough. Fortunately, Matsuda was willing to lend a hand in getting you that opportunity to meet her.

"For the last time, that form doesn't do that!" Sora snapped into the phone. "You need to go online and download the one labeled-"

Her eyebrow twitched as the caller interrupted her with what was likely another stupid question. Higuchi stepped out of his office with a thick folder in his hands and looked at Sora with a frown.

"Then why are you calling the Technology Department? We don't even handle that!" she argued with the caller. "Yes, I'm sure!"

Your boss then turned to you, just as planned. "Robin, I need you to deliver this to Mr. Shimura's office on the tenth floor."

"Of course, Mr. Higuchi."

As you stood from your seat, you noticed that he was highly agitated, his brows furrowed and his posture tense.

When you took the folder from him, he instructed, "Don't stop to speak to anyone in that office. Am I clear?"

While you were curious as to his reason, you kept your suspicions to yourself and smiled. "Yes, sir."

With that said, he announced, "I'm off to my meeting now. Sora, don't lock me out again."

Sora looked up and nodded before narrowing her eyes and yelling into the phone, "No! _You_ get me _your_ supervisor. I want to know who thought it was a good idea to hire someone who's too _stupid_ to read the words right in front of his face!"

You tried to keep your grin hidden. Although it was cruel in a way, Matsuda was certainly doing a good job at playing the village idiot. Before your colleague could notice the expression on your face, you stepped out of the office and headed toward the elevator. Once on the tenth floor, you followed the signs to Shimura's office and let yourself in. There was only one secretary present: Rin Tamura. True to her profile, she was dressed in a more lax manner than you or Sora usually dress with no suit jacket, a tight skirt, and more cleavage showing than you cared for. Her eyes were on you as she grinned and rose from her desk.

"Can I help you?" she asked with a cool tone.

 _Now I just need to get her alone._ You smiled. "Yeah, I have some paperwork for Mr. Shimura from Mr. Higuchi."

"Just come with me," she directed before opening another door.

It was a large room – similar to Higuchi's – with an occupied desk in the middle and all sorts of cabinets lining the walls. The lights were dim, possibly due to the frequent headaches that the Head of Personnel was prone to. Shimura looked up from his desk on the other end and tensed, eyes flickering to you.

Meanwhile, Rin pointed to a group of cabinets on the far side of the room. "Just put it in the top drawer on the right where the other incoming paperwork goes."

As you began to follow her instructions, she coyly called over to her executive, "Mr. Shimura, shouldn't you be at your meeting now?"

You threw a glance over your shoulder to see the man tense before glancing to you again and meeting your gaze. Mentally cursing yourself for being caught by him, you immediately turned away.

You heard his chair drag across the floor as he stood. "Of course. You're right, Ms. Tamura. Thank you."

The door closed, leaving you and Rin alone in the office. Your brows furrowed as your temper began to rise – although you wanted to speak to her, you wouldn't be able to do that if you couldn't find the right damn cabinet! A few moments passed before she was beside you.

"Oops, I meant the cabinet beside you," she corrected before reaching over and helping you.

With that done, you put on your best smile. "Thanks. I'm Robin, by the way."

The corners of her lips curved into a cat-like grin as something sparkled in her eyes. "Oh, Higuchi's new secretary? It can be so hard being one these days, especially under men like him."

You raised an eyebrow. "You know what he's like?"

"Oh, honey," she cooed, her comforting voice like a siren's song. "He has quite the reputation – it's a wonder that he's still working here."

"Yeah, can't argue with that," you commented with a frown. "Hey, would you want to go to lunch together sometime soon? It would be nice to get to know people other than Sora, and you seem pretty cool."

Rin laughed, a melodious sound. "You flatter me, Robin. I accept your invitation."

There was a short pause as you wondered why you were still standing there, and why your heart was racing.

"You look so young," she purred as she reached up and stroked your cheek.

Your eyes went wide as your whole body tensed. When did she get so close? Your mind was screaming for you to run, but you couldn't fight against your unmoving feet. There was something so calming about her voice and her touch as she complimented you again.

Near called out to you through your earpiece, "Robin, get out of her reach."

Ignoring your partner's repeated warnings, you remained still in your entranced state. Rin traced her finger down the faint scar on your cheek before briefly placing her hand on your abdomen.

"So, she was right," she commented with a dark grin. "You hide it well. Tell me, is this the real reason you got a job here or was that for other reasons?"

You frowned as you realized just how disarmed she had made you, faking a cough before telling her, "I-I don't know what you're talking about."

Rin hummed as she reached up and began to run her hand through your hair. "Don't lie to me."

"Get out of there!" Mello commanded through the microphone, jolting you out of your trance.

You roughly pulled yourself away from the predatory secretary and rushed toward the door. "I-I have to go."

Rin watched on as you disappeared from her sight, eyes narrowed as she repeated, "Robin Wilson..."

*** * * November 9 * * ***

Your joint investigations with the rest of the Wammy Teams had led you to the conclusion that none of your suspects were involved in bribing anyone with sex. Of course, that didn't necessarily mean that they couldn't be Kira, just that your one lead was a dead end. Then there was also the creepy Shadow CEO who was clearly up to something, be it just controlling Yotsuba and her executive or something else. The rest of the Task Force had been diligently keeping an eye on the Kira meetings. Just last week, Light had interrupted a meeting acting as L to save someone's life and offered Namikawa immunity from prosecution if he blocks Kira from killing Yotsuba's competitors. So far, this seemed to be successful, though it hadn't been a full week yet.

Aside from your mission, you had also been made busy with preparing for the gala tomorrow. Misa already helped you pick out your dress and cleared her schedule so she could get you ready. Mello got his tuxedo while the three of you were out too. You arrived at headquarters about an hour ago and were already in your usual clothes as you stared at yourself in the mirror.

You had moved into the second trimester of your pregnancy last week, which was good in that you didn't feel sick all the time anymore, but it was getting more difficult to hide your pregnancy. Your skin was beginning to appear permanently flushed – a part of you wondered if this was where that cliched description of a pregnant woman "glowing" came from. If that were the case, the others – particularly the fathers of the Task Force – would easily figure out the truth. Just the other day you had to switch to wearing more comfortable shoes even at work due to the new swelling around your ankles. To make things even worse, you had to start wearing loose clothing to hide your now-noticeable baby bump. You only had to hope that the dress you bought several weeks ago would still fit. As you loudly exhaled, you noted that whoever said that pregnancy felt wonderful was full of shit.

A knock at the entrance prompted a gasp from your lips before you mentally chastised yourself and turned around. After calling out for the newcomer to let themselves in, the door swung open to reveal Watari – currently the only person other than you and Mello who knew the truth about the situation.

The veteran stepped inside and offered, "Would you like me to teach you how to dance? Since you were not raised at Wammy's and didn't take the class, I do not know the degree of skill you possess."

"Yes, that would be helpful. Thank you."

After you accepted his offer, Watari spent much of the rest of the night giving you a crash course on the basic box dance, the waltz, and other dances you may encounter. While you were shaky at first, you warmed up to the dances fairly easily for what little time you had. When the lessons were finally over, you noticed how late it was and decided to get some sleep.

 

On the other side of the city, Kira and accomplices were at it again. Rem hovered over the two as they discussed their latest findings.

"You said it yourself," the woman began. "She's obviously an agent, and it's clear who she suspects."

Kira glanced away. "I don't know... I was drunk when I said that. I don't think it's true."

She leaned in as she calmly purred, "You're just in denial, love. From the surveillance alone, we know that we're being watched. Her behavior is only subtly suspicious, but she is still our prime suspect."

"You really think so?"

She nodded.

Kira frowned. "Then... maybe we should just explain the truth?"

The woman pulled away and narrowed her eyes. "They'll just kill you if you do that. You're just lucky that you chose me to tell – if it were anyone else, they would have turned you in." As Kira hung their head, she added, "Just follow my lead, dear. I'll take care of everything."

*** * * November 10 * * ***

You returned from work earlier that day and Misa dragged you straight into her room to get you ready for the gala. Apparently, she took out everything that you had bought on that trip together while she was waiting for you. You had already changed into your dress and you were currently sitting at her table as she stood behind you and worked your hair into the style you requested.

As she worked, she commented, "We should really do this more often, but I want to come next time and you can do my hair."

The model pulled away and walked around to face you, scrutinizing your appearance with pursed lips. Unsatisfied with some aspect of the style, she reached up to fix it.

"So, are you going to meet up with that fun secretary girl you work with?" 

You moved to nod, but stopped yourself. "Yes." 

She nodded before grinning and standing. Without asking, she grabbed your hands and pulled you over to her full body mirror to admire yourself and Misa's hard work. The dress that she had helped you pick out still looked nice on you. The length of it combined with the light jacket you were wearing worked together to hide your slightly swollen ankles and hands, though it was a bit tight around your abdomen. You swallowed hard as you hoped that the detail would escape everyone's notice.

Misa was the first to break the silence with starry eyes. "Wow, you look so pretty, Robin. You should totally give up this whole secret agent thing and become a model."

You blushed as you argued, "You're just saying that. I'm average at best."

She frowned. "I'm being honest. You're beautiful. Everyone else sees it, why don't you?"She focused down on your abdomen as she added, "Though, it looks like you've been putting on a bit of weight. I can help you diet first if you want."

You tensed and avoided her gaze as you mumbled, "It's not the kind of weight that can be lost." 

Misa knitted her eyebrows together for a moment before her eyes lit up and she grinned. "Is it a secret?"

You winced as you realized that she had figured it out and nodded.

Her grin extended as she lightly hugged you and whispered, "Congratulations! I promise I won't tell."

You looked up to the clock on her wall and your eyes went wide. It was already time to go! You rushed across the hall to your room before grabbing your handbag and keys, Misa following closely behind. After making sure that your earpiece was snug in your ear, you made your way downstairs. The elevator doors opened on the main investigation floor, revealing everyone but Mello.

Misa pulled you out and gestured to you as she announced, "I give you, Robin!"

Everyone turned to you and took in your appearance. 

L grinned with his thumb on his lip as he addressed Misa, "You did a good job."

Light frowned as he explained, "Near will be listening in case you run into one of the suspects. Let him know if you need any help. The rest of us will be going through the data again."

You glanced away and nodded before turning to Matsuda. "Ready to go?"

The Japanese investigator nodded and pulled his keys out of his pockets. "Yes."

You followed him back into the elevator and down to the garage where he was parked. Once you were safely seated, Matsuda quickly headed out and toward the gala. You couldn't help but reminisce to the last time you were in this car. It was hard to believe that you were on crutches and still not mentally right when this seat was last claimed as your own. So much time had passed and so much had changed since then. When you finally arrived, you noticed Mello's motorcycle already in the parking lot.

Matsuda let you out and reminded you that he would be back later to pick you up. You thanked him before he drove off. You looked around as you stepped inside the huge venue – the mandatory attendance showing how truly big the company was. People were all around the ballroom, sitting at the tables, dancing in the center, talking in groups, and hanging around the refreshment table as they listened to the live band and awaited a speech from the company's president that would come during dinner. According to Sora, people generally start to leave once the speech and dinner is over, and that was exactly what L wanted you to do.

Someone walked into you, apologizing profusely before making his way to a table. With your attention returned to yourself, you stepped away from the doors you were nearly blocking and started to look around to find some place to go. In one corner you could see Mello standing in his suit with a group of men away from the others. He looked over to you with a smile, waiting a few moments longer than he probably should have before returning his attention to his social group. A blush dusted your cheeks a light pink as you sheepishly turned away.

As you continued to survey the ballroom, you noted that the executives who attend the Yotsuba Kira meetings were all spread out, not interacting with one another. It wasn't long before a familiar face made her way to you.

Sora was wearing a short dress, grinning as she cried out, "Oh my gosh, you look totally amazing, Robin!"

You thanked her, but took a mental note of the alcohol you could smell on her breath. With not much else to do, you spent some time conversing with your coworker, listening as she gossiped about the employees who happened to be out of earshot. After a bit you both became somewhat thirsty and moved to the refreshment table.

The brunette took a hefty gulp of her drink before letting out a long sigh and smiling fondly. "You know, if there's one thing I'll miss about Yotsuba, it's that they sure know how to throw a party. Just wait until the food gets out – it's always incredible!" A moment passed before the tipsy woman explained, "Once the New Year comes around, I'm gonna quit and finally start traveling the world."

"Well, well," a familiar voice purred from behind as you felt a hand on your back. "If it isn't my little Robin."

Near chimed in through your earpiece, the memory of what happened last time clear in your minds. "Get away from her. If you can't, we're going to send Mello over."

Rin rested her chin on your shoulder as she began to snake her arms around your waist. Your heart raced as you frantically ducked and slipped out of her grasp before backing away slightly and facing her with slightly widened eyes. Now more than ever, you were really regretting going out of your comfort zone for this investigation.

The older woman narrowed her eyes slightly before forcing another smile as she sauntered toward you again with her arms outstretched. "Now, now, Robin. You still owe me that lunch date, remember? It was so rude of you to rush out before – it's only fair that you make it up to me with a dance."

Sora furrowed her eyebrows together as she watched on, lips tightly pursed as she clenched her fists.

It was then that you heard your boss' voice. "I see you're bothering my secretaries again."

The perpetrator whipped around to face him, a fierce glare in her eyes as she growled, "Higuchi."

"Tamura." He glared back. "I thought I made it clear where your territory ends. Perhaps I need to remind you?"

Rin scoffed before walking off, glaring at your boss as she went. Higuchi smirked at his success, and you scowled as you watched her go. With every encounter you became more and more suspicious of her.

With her gone, Higuchi grinned and turned to you. "You know, Robin, I still don't know much about you. Of course, you're a good secretary, but I don't know you as personally." You could smell the liquor on his breath as he leaned in and added, "What do you say? Care to dance?"

You hesitated as you waited for the input from Near that you had gotten so used to in each interaction with the executive. Strangely enough, you heard nothing. Left to your own devices, you knew that you needed to make sure that you kept this job for another month to retrieve your program, so you couldn't risk being fired. However disgusted you were with the idea, you would have to agree to guarantee job security.

You swallowed your unease and smiled weakly. "S-Sure." 

Higuchi took your hand in his as he began to lead you to the dance floor. You looked back toward Sora to gauge her reaction and noted that she was clearly distracted, frowning as she gazed off in the distance. A short distance away, Rin was smirking.

 

Back at headquarters, Near frowned slightly as he removed his headset and approached L. The head detective paused his conversation with Light to await his successor's words.

"Robin's necklace is still broadcasting, but I have lost communication with her earpiece," your partner explained. "She is with Higuchi right now and he's questioning her."

Matt turned around with furrowed brows as Light's eyes widened.

The latter frowned as he argued, "She shouldn't be left alone with him. If he's really Kira, then anything she says can be used to find her true identity and her connection to the case."

Near mentally noted the irony of his statement while Matt commented, "Now you know how we felt whenever she was alone with you all through To-Oh."

 _So he believes that Light isn't Kira and never was Kira,_ the youngest investigator deduced.

The brunet pursed his lips before glancing down and nodding slightly.

L finally chimed in, "We must repair the device, but in the meantime she needs a replacement. Matt, tell Mello to keep an eye on her until then."

The redhead complied with his instructions before turning back to the group.

"Someone will have to bring it to her," Near added.

The men fell silent as they looked around the group.

 

Higuchi's questions had gone on for long enough with no input from Near. It was clear to you now that your earpiece was malfunctioning and you were on your own.

"So, Robin, what was it like where you grew up?" Higuchi asked as you danced with him.

"I was so young when I lived in England," you began your tale. "I don't remember much other than constant rain."

"I see. What brought you to Japan?"

Now, this you distinctly remembered being a part of your fake backstory, but what was it again?

When it hit you, you told him, "My father met my step-mother – who's Japanese – on a business trip when I was young, and we moved here after they got married." 

"Oh, that's right," Higuchi commented with a grin. "You mentioned it during the interview process. Speaking of which, remind me: why did you choose Yotsuba?"

You forced a smile as you explained, "I needed a job and didn't have much experience."

"Of course. How could I forget?" The corners of his lips curved into a smirk as he added, "You know, we have quite the range of interesting people here. Are you into men or are you one of those people who's open to anything?"

In hopes that he would leave you alone, you told him, "I'm attracted to women."

His eyebrows dropped slightly. "Really? I wouldn't have guessed. But you're not the only one: so is Sora." He frowned as he added, "You should take extra care to steer clear of Rin Tamura."

You furrowed your brows as it occurred to you that perhaps your coworker was the victim in two sexual harassment cases. As another song ended, you separated.

Higuchi fixed his tie as he asked, "Are you dating someone right now?"

"Yes."

He raised his eyebrows as he scrutinized your expression. "Really? I guess I shouldn't really be surprised." 

With that said, he headed toward the refreshment table. You turned and started to search for Sora, but she was nowhere to be found. As you began to wade your way through the crowds, you felt a hand on yours, stopping you.

"May I have this dance?"

Mello gave you his characteristic grin as you felt yourself relax, smiling softly at him as he gently placed a hand on your waist and held onto yours with the other. You reached up to his shoulder and draped your free hand over it before the dance began. A romantic waltz was playing in the background as he held you a bit closer than the dance requires. Bliss flooded your senses as you glided across the dance floor, but this wasn't to last for long. Fear overwhelmed you as your eyes widened and you frowned. The blond raised an eyebrow.

"We shouldn't be seen together," you whispered. "Not here."

"It'll be okay. It's just one night," he quietly assured you so as not to raise any suspicions. "There's a bunch of people dancing with people they just met. We can just play it off as that."

You felt yourself relax again. Of course. Why didn't you consider that?

Oh, it was probably the hormones running your fears wild again.

You really were lucky that Mello was so understanding and ready to support you through this. No, you were doing this together. You smiled softly as you gazed into his blue eyes. So focused on them, you noticed neither the slowing pace of the dance nor your increasing proximity as he held your gaze. Your faces drew together as you closed your eyes and met his lips in a sweet kiss. All your worries washed away in those moments of pure bliss, leaving you completely unaware of the drunken glare you were receiving from the other end of the room. It was only when you pulled apart and when you noticed that the song had changed and you were just standing there.

Mello smiled softly at you before admitting, "I wish we could just do this all night."

You silently nodded, understanding his wants but also the reality of the situation. He discreetly slipped the replacement earpiece into your palm before stepping back.

"I'm right here if you need me," he quietly reminded you before returning to his coworkers.


	28. Ressurection

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for my sudden unannounced absence over the past few weeks. Life got unexpectedly busy during that time, leaving me unable to work on this chapter until now. As always, thank you for reading and commenting. It means more than you know. Anyway, I hope that you enjoy this chapter and the rest of the story.

*** * * November 13 * * ***

It was the Monday after the annual gala and you were currently sitting at your desk, working away another dull day. There were no Kira murders reported until Saturday afternoon, giving more proof that Kira was present at the gala. Of course, the fact that attendance was mandatory didn't help you narrow down any suspects. Still, it served as more definitive proof that the murderer was an employee at the large company. To be honest, that certainly didn't make you feel any better. It was true that Kira's activities had led to a decrease in crime rates worldwide, but what concerned you was his tendency to kill those who were trying to catch him. Not to mention the fact that the Yotsuba Kira seemed much more bold than the original, killing those discussed in the meetings for the company's gain. You shook your head as you tried to return your attention to the tasks that you had been assigned that busy morning.

When Sora finally had a moment to breathe between calls, she called out with a snide tone, "Hey, I saw you dancing with that guy at the gala. I wonder if he's the father." You paled as she added, "It's pretty obvious in your appearance."

You couldn't help but sharply inhale as you pursed your lips and locked your gaze to your computer. Tears started to accumulate in the corners of your eyes as you desperately tried to keep a handle on your emotions. As you tried to focus on your screen through your blurred vision, you found yourself wondering just where the Hell that comment came from anyway. Sora had always been kind to you up until this point. The last time you saw her was at the gala, but she was friendly then too. Whatever had caused the change in behavior must have occurred between speaking to her there and now.

Maybe she really _was_ into Higuchi or she was jealous that you were in a relationship – she had made it fairly clear that she had seen your kiss with Mello. When you thought about it, that first possibility didn't make much sense. Higuchi had mentioned that Sora was into women, and she had also expressed disgust as his creepy behavior toward all his secretaries. On top of that, the second option didn't seem all that likely either. After all, she had mentioned something about having a partner on your first day at Yotsuba, and those X's were still on the shared calendar, so they must have still been dating. Perhaps that's all it was: an argument with her girlfriend over the weekend that left Sora on edge.

When you finally dared to look up at her, you could see her tense posture and a slight scowl that she was clearly trying to resist. She kept tripping over her own words on the phone, brows furrowing as her eyes skittered back and forth. Higuchi stepped into the room, drawing your attention to him.

"Sora, I need you to bring this down to Marketing," he told her as he held out a small packet of papers. "The fax machine's down and that new Vice President doesn't check his emails."

Her eyebrows twitched as she snapped, "Bring it there yourself! I'm swamped as it is!"

Your eyes went wide and your mouth slightly agape as you glanced to your boss. Apparently she managed to catch him off guard, because his expression was a close mirror of yours, his brows raised as he stared at the brunette.

Sora had paled, her brows furrowed as she froze and stared down at her desk. "I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

Before anything else could be said, she took the papers from Higuchi and hurried out the office.

He was silent for a few moments before adjusting his jacket and turning to you. "Come with me. We need to discuss something."

You tensed and gulped before shyly nodding.

Near chimed in through your new earpiece to instruct you, "Make sure you can get to the door before him if something happens. Remember, he is one of our prime suspects."

After tapping twice in front of your hidden camera, you rose and followed the older man into his soundproof office. Higuchi took his seat behind his large desk, leaving you to sit at the small chair across from him, your back to the door.

He rested his arms in his desk, his hands together as he began. "You know, Robin, your 'girlfriend' looks a bit too masculine to be a girl – even if his haircut is a bit feminine."

You tensed as you felt all blood drain from your cheeks. "W-Well, I-"

Higuchi raised a hand, stopping you. "There are rumors going around that you're pregnant. Even Sora seems to believe it." Your stomach churned as he continued. "You haven't been working at Yotsuba long enough to get paid time off, but this department has never run so efficiently since I hired you, and I don't want to have to fire you and return to a lower production rate."

You furrowed your brows. He _didn't_ want to fire you?

He reached into his desk and placed a file on his desk. "You know, we have strict rules regarding our personnel, but even Shimura can't draft a seamless policy. Every executive has a copy." He patted the folder as he stood. "I'm heading out to get lunch. I'll be back in an hour. Wouldn't it be a shame if I forgot to lock my office and a clever secretary found the policy?"

Your eyes went wide as he smirked and left. It took several minutes for you to turn your attention to the files on his desk. Truth be told, you never would have expected such a kind offer from him. Such behavior didn't match any of your original judgments of him, even if it was just to keep his department running smoothly. In a way, you felt somewhat guilty about your plans to leave once your crawler returned with the information you needed for the case. After a few moments, another wave of dread washed over you. This conversation may very well be brought up when you returned because Near was watching, and there was the strong possibility that L and Light were doing the same.

 

Surprisingly, L had been careful about his words during your discussions when you returned to headquarters. Still, even if he didn't directly reveal your pregnancy, you couldn't make yourself look Light in the eye – and he had been watching you closely through the whole conversation. You had gone straight to your room after the debriefing, and Mello visited you for a short time. He had just left for his own shift as Yotsuba when you heard another knock at the door, drawing your attention back to the real world as you called for the visitor to come in. The door creaked open, revealing Light. He gave you a soft smile as he closed the door behind him and took a few steps closer.

You pursed your lips as you glanced away. "Oh... did you need something?"

Light was silent for a few moments before sighing. “There is no right way to ask this, but did he get you pregnant?”

You froze, your eyes wide as you took in his words. “N-No. Where did you get that crazy idea from?”

He frowned. “You don’t have to lie. I figured it out a while ago.”

You sighed and averted your eyes. “How did you find out?”

“You have been acting strangely – more emotionally – than when I knew you before,” he explained. “And that day when everyone was arguing about whether I should be chained to Ryuzaki or not, you were both gone for a long time. I didn’t see either of you come back down. I just needed more time to confirm it.”

You tightened your lips into a thin line. If he knew, there was no doubt in your mind that everyone else did too.

Returning your attention to the former Kira suspect, you asked, “If you knew for so long, why wait to confront me until today?”

Light pursed his lips for a few moments. “I don’t think Mello will be good for you or even keep trying to support you once the baby is born. You need to realize this."

You scowled. "What do you know about good relationships? And you don't know a damn thing about him!"

He raised his hands in mock defense. "I'm just looking out for you, Robin. I already told you that I still love you, and I'm worried about what will happen to you. Someone as impulsive as him would never stay – he would never be a good father."

You tightly clenched your hands as you hissed, "Get out."

The brunet furrowed his brows. "I know it's hard to accept, but-"

_"GET OUT!"_

His eyes widened slightly as he backed away and looked to the side with a frown. "I'm sorry. Just remember that I will be here for you if you ever need me."

Without so much as looking you in the eye, he turned and left. As soon as the door closed behind him, you collapsed in a heap of sobs.

*** * * November 16 * * ***

It was the Thursday night after the gala, and Kira was frowning as they stared at their fingers. The woman next to them on the couch moved even closer, placing her chin on Kira's shoulder.

Kira could hear her pout as she cooed, "Baby, what's wrong? You're never _this_ tense around me."

The owner of the Death Note pursed their lips and tightened their fingers around their knees. "They're talking about me – they have to be. He's in on it."

There was a short silence before she backed away, her tone apathetic. "You know that we can't kill him yet."

"And what about _her?"_ Kira snapped as they turned to the woman. "Y-You kept... y-you're giving her so much attention, I just..."

She furrowed her brows for a brief moment before leaning in and lightly tracing her fingers up Kira's inner leg. Kira couldn't help the pleasured chills that ran down their spine as they glanced away.

"Oh, _honey,"_ she purred. "You know why I had to do that, but I can still make it up to you with a special treat."

As her hand hit the junction between Kira's legs, she slipped the other under Kira's shirt and pushed herself on top of them. Kira's heart raced as their lips met. Rem passively watched their intimacy as they undressed.

 

Later that night, Kira woke up to an empty bed and someone rifling through her drawers. Their eyes went wide as they jolted up and watched their lover throw yet another notebook onto the floor. _No... she wouldn't..._

A cold sweat dripped down the back of Kira's neck as they nervously called out, "W-What are you doing?"

The woman narrowed her eyes, not even sparing a glance to the speaker. "It's nothing. Go back to sleep."

Her harsh tone made Kira's stomach churn as they stood. The pile behind the woman was only notebooks, not the rest of the drawers' contents. As much as Kira didn't want to admit it, she had to be searching for the Death Note. They glanced to Rem, who silently watched on as always.

Kira pursed their lips before taking a step closer. "Y-You're looking for it, aren't you?!"

"Go to sleep."

Kira's brows furrowed as they clenched their fists slightly. "If you write in it too, you won't be able to stop! Please-"

The woman smirked as she pulled out the supernatural notebook, drawing the owner to a halt. She slowly stood as she turned the pages and pulled out a pencil from atop her ear.

She let out a haughty chuckle as she glanced to the person behind her. "I was planning to do this while you were sleeping, but you're making it more difficult than it needs to be. Don't worry, _dear._ You won't have to worry about killing anyone for long."

Kira's eyes went wide as the silhouette of her hand began to move. Time seemed to freeze around them as their instincts took over and they tackled their lover to the ground. Her head slammed against the wooden flooring as she dropped the Death Note. She snarled as she reached up to retaliate, but Kira wrapped their bare hands around her throat first. She choked and scratched her long nails at Kira's face, but even the sting of the wounds was not enough to make them stop. Kira tightened their grip around her neck, desperate to keep her from the Death Note. She fought back as her face began to turn blue, even scratching at Kira's hands, but it wasn't enough. In the space of a moment, she froze. Her body relaxed as her hands fell to the side, her gaze now empty as her struggle ended.

A few minutes passed before Kira slowly let go and turned their palms to face themself, staring as they started to shake.

Only a single phrase was uttered in a horrified whisper. "Oh my God..."

*** * * November 27 * * ***

It had been two weeks since Sora made that cruel comment to you about your appearance. You had been careful to avoid bringing up whatever had happened at home, not wanting to stir up memories she wanted to avoid for the moment. Still, you couldn't help but be concerned for her – she had called out sick all last week, and she was already late if she actually planned to come in today.

Higuchi was tense as he stepped into your part of the office. "She's still gone?"

You nodded. "She hasn't called, though. Maybe she's just running late?"

He frowned and walked toward his office as he grumbled, "This is all very unlike her."

Your boss roughly closed the door behind him, the slam echoing through your and Sora's empty room. You pursed your lips as you returned your attention to your computer. At least you understood why _he_ was tense. While the Yotsuba Kira meeting had occurred a few days ago, none of the suggested murders happened. In fact, none of the victims listed in the past two meetings had been killed by Kira, though one criminal was murdered – a surprisingly low number for his history.

The door creaked open, drawing your attention. You turned and saw a haggard-looking Sora peeking her head into the office. She had dark circles under her eyes and three long scratches on her cheek. Combined with her hunched stance and narrowed eyes as she silently walked to her desk, you felt your heart sink. What on Earth happened to your poor coworker last week?

"Sora, are you okay?"

She tensed briefly before she glanced up and forced an excessive smile with a cheery tone. "Don't you worry, Robin. Everything's just fine."

Your eyebrows furrowed for a moment before you turned back to your work. She clearly wasn't in the mood to speak. Several hours went by as the two of you worked in a tense silence, and as much as she tried to hide it, she exhibited strong signs of stress – dropping the phone from sweaty palms, constantly scanning her surroundings, and overall holding an aggressive posture. While you initially assumed that the scratches on her cheek were signs of domestic abuse, she seemed tense for other reasons. Combining that with her absence last week and Kira's lack of activity, you couldn't let your suspicions go.

Making sure that no one was able to see your screen, you typed out a message instructing Near to have Sora's apartment investigated. A part of you felt like you were betraying her trust, but you knew that it was necessary with her behavior. In the meantime, you were keeping a close eye on your coworker as the NPA headed out to check her residence.

Not even a full hour had passed before your partner informed you, "You were right to have her investigated. There is a dead woman in her apartment." Your stomach churned as you looked at Sora, scrutinized the cuts on her face. "The coroner has not arrived yet, but Mello said that by the smell and limpness of the body, she must have been dead for a few days at minimum."

Taking a deep breath to calm yourself, you typed out, "Can they identify the victim? Are there signs of assault and blood under her nails?"

There was a silence that lasted a lifetime as he relayed the question and patched you into the other communication system.

Mello's voice rang out in your ear as he explained, "It's Rin Tamura. She was strangled, and it looks like she drew blood from her attacker."

You pursed your lips as you carefully eyed the three long scratches down Sora's cheek. How could someone so sweet commit such a heinous crime? It was then that you considered the possibility that Rin was Sora's girlfriend. That would explain why she was so harsh after the gala – after Rin was flirting with you. If that were the case, then it was likely that they got into an argument and it went downhill from there, ultimately leading to Tamura's murder – after all, strangulation was a crime of passion, often committed by those who know and are close to their victims.

"We're sending officers to Yotsuba to apprehend her," Near informed you. "Stay out of her reach."

You tapped twice in front of the camera as you glanced to her again.

Not long passed before Higuchi came out, visibly tense as he feigned a calm tone and announced, "Officers are storming the building. Do either of you know what's going on?"

Sora had paled considerably and glanced above you before writing something in her notebook. You raised an eyebrow and turned to Higuchi, shaking your head in response to his question. He pursed his lips for a few moments, likely believing the NPA to be after him and the other members of Kira's group. Perhaps this would be just what you needed to convince them to get cocky enough to reveal their secrets more easily.

"No. _No!"_ Sora screamed, drawing both your and Higuchi's confused attention as she looked to an empty corner of the room. "I have the eyes! Why isn't it working?!"

You exchanged glances with Higuchi, who took a step closer. "Sora, I need you to calm down-"

"No, _you_ calm down!" she shrieked as she took more notes.

He backed away, but suggested, "They're going to think that we did something if you don't. I don't need another investigation slowing us down like that Robin Hood nonsense did."

You could see tears accumulating in her eyes as she reached into her desk and stood, aiming a gun at your head. "You sent them after me!"

Your heart stopped as you stared down the barrel of her weapon. Higuchi stepped forward, but grunted and hunched over before he could say anything. His eyes went wide as he gasped for breath and collapsed where he was standing.

"Why can't I kill you?" Sora hissed. "It worked on him, so why didn't it work on you?"

That was it: she had to be Kira. In your earpiece, you could hear chatter discussing a hostage situation, holding the officers at bay – and they were right to do so. She was clearly unstable. If anyone stepped inside, she would pull the trigger in an act of desperation, ending not only your life, but the life of your unborn child. The only person who could save you now was yourself.

You took a calming breath as you raised your hands in a gesture of surrender. "I don't know."

_"Shut up!"_ She tightened her grip on the gun. "I wasn't asking you. They're here to kill me because of you!"

You tensed, choosing your words more carefully as you slowly told her, "I didn't think you were Kira. Even now, you don't seem like the type of person who would want to do that. You were always kind to me, Sora."

Tears trickled down her cheeks as she sucked in a breath. "I didn't want to be Kira – i-it was an accident. I wanted to stop, but I couldn't."

You furrowed your brows. "Why couldn't you?"

She scowled. "It doesn't matter. You're trying to catch me – trying to kill me!"

You pursed your lips for a moment before raising your open palms higher. "I want to help you stop."

"I can't!"

She clearly wasn't comfortable enough to elaborate on her reasons yet, but there was another direction. "You said you weren't trying to start – that it was an accident – what do you mean? I don't understand how your powers work."

Sora's lips quivered as she glanced to the side, her posture relaxing somewhat. "I wrote in the wrong notebook. I-I wrote her name in the Death Note, and she died. You're only here because I did that. I-It's my fault that Aiko's dead!"

Your lips tugged into a frown as you stood, recognizing the name as your predecessor. "Sora, I want to help – I want to understand – but I don't know what a Death Note is..."

The brunette grabbed the black notebook on her desk and waved it around with her free hand. "It's what Kira uses to kill people, but it didn't work on you." She pinched her eyebrows together as she aimed more threateningly at you. _"Why didn't it work?"_

"I don't-"

_"I wasn't asking you!"_

You hesitated. "Who are you asking?"

She gestured off to the empty corner she had looked to before. "The shinigami who haunts it."

You tensed as you glanced to the corner, knowing the term to mean 'god of death'. "Did this... _shinigami_ give you the Death Note?"

"She didn't _hand_ it to me," Sora explained as her body language relaxed momentarily. "She dropped it on Higuchi's desk when he was at lunch. I found it on accident and she followed me home with it."

You nodded slowly before glancing to Higuchi's dead body. "Does she know why it isn't working on me?"

She frowned and grumbled, "I know I wrote your name right. I can see it right there!"

Your eyebrows twitched downward. She could _see_ your name?

"She doesn't know why it won't-" Sora pinched her eyebrows together as she glanced between the 'shinigami' and your abdomen. "She says the Death Note can't be used to kill more than one person with just writing one name..." Kira moved her finger to the trigger. "But I don't have to use it to kill you."

You froze for a moment before taking on a stern tone. "Sora, you need to think. These people outside want to arrest you for all those murders. Killing me now would just make things worse for yourself because they already found Rin Tamura in your apartment."

She dropped the Death Note as she started to cry. "I never wanted to kill anybody! I had to when I screwed up and wrote Aiko's name in the wrong book."

You took a step closer. "Are you not allowed to stop?"

She nodded and sniffled. "I-If I don't write names within thirteen days of each other, I'll die."

"Did the shinigami tell you this?" It was entirely possible that the supernatural being was the true Kira, just lying to humans for their own entertainment.

Kira wiped her nose. "N-No. It's in the cover." She lowered her gun slightly as she opened the notebook for you to see it yourself. After a few moments, she whispered your real name, "I don't want to kill anybody, but I have to."

You lowered your arms to your sides, your tone soft as you assured her, "I know, Sora. I understand why you're doing this, and I would do the same thing in your situation. Maybe if we go out calmly and explain it, we can figure out a way to help you."

You carefully held out your hand. Your coworker pursed her lips, tears streaming down her cheeks as she scrutinized your offer. There was a short silence before the crash of her gun on the floor rang out. Sora stepped forward and dropped into your arms as she sobbed and repeatedly apologized. You released a breath that you didn't know you were holding as you gently stroked her back. It was only then when officers flooded the room and handcuffed the Yotsuba Kira.

As she was carted out, you reached down and picked up the Death Note. Taking a deep breath, you turned to the corner Sora kept looking at, and a scream erupted from your lips.

"What happened?" Near asked from your earpiece.

You opened your mouth to speak, but no words made it through. Several moments passed as you stared at the ghastly shinigami on the other side of the room. She silently stared back, a frown evident on her alien face.

After a few moments, she spoke up. "Be careful and bring it outside."

You swallowed a gulp and nodded, glancing one last time to Higuchi's body as you made your way out the building – feeling the shinigami's presence behind you through the whole journey. All around were a sea of flashing lights and even a helicopter. You stayed off to the side and watched on with an empathetic frown as Sora was placed in the back of a police cruiser. After making brief eye contact with Rem, you glanced into the Death Note and found that your full legal name was written just below Higuchi's. Your heart skipped a beat as you stared at the line. Perhaps one of the abilities that came with the notebook was really _seeing_ a person's true name, just as Sora had hinted at. If that were the case, then did all shinigami possess this trait too?

Before it could fully sink in, Soichiro stopped next to you. “What is that?”

You looked up to find that his attention was on the notebook in your hands. "It's the Death Note. It's... it's how Kira kills."

He took the supernatural notebook from your hands before looking up, his gaze landing on the shinigami. He screamed and backed away in a panic as he locked eyes with her, causing a commotion amongst the investigators. As the members of the Task Force came to see what was wrong, the elder Yagami had them take hold of the murderer’s book and see for themselves. As the Death Note made its rounds, you heard a familiar voice call your name. 

You only managed to catch a glimpse of Mello before he took you in his arms and held you close. Although it was difficult to decipher, you heard him mumble a thanks to God regarding your safety. You couldn’t help but smile as you closed your eyes and rested your head against him, all your worries washing away with the embrace.

Unfortunately, it wouldn't last for long. A scream sounded off from behind, and your eyes went wide as you whipped around. Sora was clutching her chest as tears streamed down her cheeks. She took one last breath before going limp, her dying gaze pointed up at the ceiling. Your heart sank into your stomach as tears accumulated in the corners of your eyes. It wasn't her fault. You knew that, but you were unable to save her. You took a breath to try to calm yourself, but your changing body had other plans. Before you knew it, you had broken down into tears, and Mello was holding you close.


	29. Sounds of Silence

*** * * December 3 * * ***

In the days following Sora's death, Misa and Light were released from custody. The blonde had given you a lengthy goodbye before giving you her phone number and asking you to keep in touch. You haven't seen her since then. On the other hand, Light had remained as loyal to the Task Force as ever, opting to continue investigating until this was brought to an end – or at least until the next school year began. Both he and L, among several others, had suggested that they wished to unveil the true identities of the original Kiras.

L's interrogations had led to the discovery that Rin Tamura was more directly involved than her dead body had left you believing. It turned out that she was blackmailing Shimura into giving her the information from the secret meetings, adding the extra threat of death to keep him silent. According to multiple character witnesses, Sora had gotten romantically involved with Rin shortly after she started working for Yotsuba. The Shadow CEO had attempted to keep their 'relationship' a secret, being fully disinterested in anything other than your coworker's ability to dissect rumors and pass them on. From what you deduced, Sora wanted to impress Rin with the power of Kira, making the best of the life or death situation that she had found herself in. She was just as much a victim as those she killed. If it weren't for that rule, none of this would have happened.

You were sitting next to Near in the main investigation room as the Task Force worked. Mello was on the other side of the room to discuss Tamura's involvement with Aizawa, who had rejoined the investigation. With the interrogations of the Yotsuba employees finished, L was focusing his interrogations on the shinigami, Rem. Unfortunately, she revealed nothing other than her name and what was written in the cover of the Death Note. After several failed attempts to get her to open up, the great detective decided to take a break from speaking with her and sat next to Light near the computers. In the meantime, you warily eyed the supernatural god from afar. There was something distinctly predatory about her stance – like a mother bear watching for anyone who would harm her cubs – and it left you feeling uneasy.

Matsuda hesitated before walking over to the genius. "Ryuzaki, I noticed that one of the rules says that Kira would die if he didn't use the Death Note every thirteen days. If this is really one of the original Kiras' Death Notes, they would already be dead by now."

L took a bite from his cake as he argued, "Just because a rule is written, that doesn't make it true. Besides, we don't know if this notebook belonged to the original Kiras or not." He pushed a strawberry around his plate with his fork. "If the rule is true or if they are dead, we should still identify them. If I'm correct and they are still alive, we will soon catch them and send them to the electric chair," he commented with a wide grin. "At the very least, if we cannot get capital punishment, we would have them write their own name in the book. That's how it is." He paused before adding, "Well, that's a conversation we should have after we capture them. It's not something we should be thinking about right now."

Rem was silent, but her eyes went wide for a brief moment as she glanced around the room in – what you assumed was – deep thought. Warily watching the shinigami, you pursed your lips and remained silent. Mello locked eyes with you and furrowed his brows before approaching you, concern clear in his eyes.

Matt frowned. "We should still consider how his followers would react. Killing Kira would just make him a martyr."

L avoided eye contact with the computer genius, unwilling to heed the warnings of a single person. He turned on a computer in front of him, and Watari's symbol appeared on the screen. All attention was on the great detective as he spoke.

"Watari, I want you to make the contacts to set up tests for the notebook's rules," he commanded. "We need to verify the murderer's notebook before going back and searching for the original Kiras."

There was a short silence before a crash was heard from the other side of the communication line.

"What's wrong, Watari?" L called out.

Aizawa leaned in over his shoulder, eyes wide in concern. Several other Japanese detectives gasped and moved in closer. You swallowed a gulp. You had never heard Watari make such a commotion before, but there had to be an explanation. After all, he was pretty old. It wasn't too much of a stretch to argue that he was starting to lose his motor control.

In an attempt to soothe your nerves, you meekly called out, "Watari...?"

Not another moment passed before all screens went pure white with a single message displayed: "ALL DATA DELETION."

Your eyes went wide as you realized what had just occurred.

"All data deletion?" Light asked. "What does that mean?"

L's tone was dark as he explained, "I instructed Watari to delete all the information he currently holds if anything unexpected should happen to him..."

Aizawa hesitantly repeated, "Anything unexpected..."

"He... can't be..." Matsuda commented.

"Where is the shinigami?" Mello growled, prompting the others to frantically look behind them.

"Rem... she's gone..."

There was a short silence before L started to rise from his seat. "Everyone, the shini-"

He stopped mid-sentence and began shaking uncontrollably. Everyone looked on in confusion, but only Soichiro had the sense to ask what was wrong.

He would never get his answer.

L toppled off his perch, silent as he fell to the floor. Light rushed to his side and caught him just before his head smashed against the tile below.

"Ryuzaki!" he cried out as he looked down at L's wide eyes and empty expression.

Panic resonated through the Task Force as shouts and gasps filled the room. Time seemed to slow as you watched L's eyes close one last time. 

Your own eyes went wide as your heart raced. You didn't want to believe it, but the proof was right in front of you.

All you could do was whisper, "Oh my God."

Mello pulled you into a protective embrace before looking up at Matt, their expressions indicating a silent discussion as they glanced to you. Matt pursed his lips and glanced to the door. Mello shook his head slightly as he glanced to the spot where Rem had been. Then he turned his gaze to Light with furrowed brows. Matt did the same.

The Kira suspect screamed out in a panic. "We're next! First Watari, then Ryuzaki, and now us!"

"Calm down!" Mello barked. "We need to find Rem and stop her."

Near was shaking as he backed away from the group.

You were shaking.

No.

This couldn't be happening.

Why was this happening?

Tears streamed down your cheeks.

It wasn't fair.

It wasn't right.

Your balance was fading.

Your sense of reality was slipping.

Your head felt lighter as your vision faded away. 

Consciousness slipped from your grasp.

 

Several hours had passed since the bodies were taken away. Even the skies were as dark as the mood in the building, hiding the stars of the night sky. Most of the investigators were currently downstairs, but the geniuses of the Wammy Teams were scattered elsewhere. You were sitting in your room, barely watching as Mello returned with a cool towel for you. He took his place beside you as he draped it around your neck. You quietly thanked him as you stared at the water bottle in your grasp. A few moments passed before he put a hand on your shoulder.

His tone was oddly soft, yet stern. "You need to drink. It should help prevent another fainting episode."

Your brows furrowed as you whispered, "I don't think it was dehydration."

He frowned. "That's the only thing we can control right now."

Mello fell silent and your thoughts returned to the events of the night.

Tears pricked at the corners of your eyes. "What are we supposed to do now? Ryuzaki was supposed to be safe – he was the only one whose name wasn't out there in some way. How..." You sucked in a breath. "How did Kira get his name? I thought he was gone..." 

Mello put an arm around you and pulled you closer as he admitted, "I don't know."

Another voice chimed in. "I think I may know the answer."

You and Mello looked up to find Near standing in the doorway. He reached under his shirt and pulled out the Death Note with his trembling fingers. Your eyes briefly widened at the sight as your partner opened the supernatural notebook, showing you the contents. Two names were written in a handwriting that was similar to that of the rules written in the cover: L Lawliet and Quillsh Wammy – L and Watari, respectively.

"I found it in a pile of ashes, and Rem is still missing," he explained. "I-If you think back to the moments before it happened, Ryuzaki argued that Kira should die, and Watari always does what he says – Rem would have been able to figure that much out in the time she was with us."

"S-So... she killed them to protect Kira?"

Near nodded as he returned the Death Note under his shirt. "I don't trust Light – No," he corrected, "I don't trust anyone here but you two and Matt. We need to move forward with the tests – especially of the thirteen day rule – and I need you to retrieve what files were lost."

*** * * December 13 * * ***

Ten days had passed since the deaths, and the wounds they had caused were still far from healed. No progress had been made since Watari deleted everything, despite Near's request. Regardless of how close you were to Rem's victims, you and the other investigators were far from well – the stress from such a close attack and loss taking a heavy toll on your minds and motivation, but that was a discussion for another time.

Watari's true identity had been revealed through the news of the famous Quillsh Wammy's death, and he was buried in England. The rest of the team was dressed in black as they watched the casket being lowered into an unmarked grave. Mello was standing beside you with Matt on the other side of him. The blond put a protective arm around you, but his focus was on the grave as he pursed his lips and watched. You frowned as you took in his expression. His body was tense and the circles under his eyes were far darker than usual.

You withheld a sigh as you wished that you could go back and make everything better somehow. Your boyfriend was turning nineteen today, but it would forever remain in his mind as the day that his mentor was buried. As argumentative as he could be, you knew that he idolized L. Between that and his concern for the safety of both you and your baby, the great detective's death was taking a clear toll on Mello's psyche. On top of that, L had never officially decided between him and Near as his successor.

Your partner was standing to your other side – the only person not in black, perhaps out of a mental comfort. He too had remained close by after he confessed his lack of trust for the others. Although the youngest successor hid his emotions fairly well, you could tell that he was still shaken by the events. While he clearly didn't care much for L as a person, the great detective was still somewhat of a mentor to him and his death reminded Near of the dangers his new position held.

You glanced to the side, catching a glimpse of the others. Light was furthest from the center of the group, his eyes narrowed slightly and lips pursed as he watched L's coffin hit the bottom of the grave – about how he had been ever since the deaths. Oddly enough, you recalled being told in those early days that he had completely lost it when you fainted, running over to you to check your pulse but being turned away by Mello, who had caught you and had his own reasons to be concerned about your well-being.

Putting those thoughts aside, you refocused your attention on the grave as the staff began to cover the coffins in dirt. You frowned as you began to tremble again. Despite your past together, you still found yourself looking up to L, and his death had a greater impact on you than you expected. His name wasn't one that was easy to find. Out of everyone, he was meant to have the highest likelihood of survival. Yes, Rem could probably see it in the same way that Sora did, but the fact that you were so much more vulnerable left you shaken.

Mello held you close, stroking your hair in an attempt to calm you as he assured you, "I won't let anything happen to you – I promise."

You pursed your lips and nodded before your mind began to wander elsewhere. Despite the loss of these important people in your life, you felt that you needed to focus on the next step. As much as you knew that Near was relying on you to retrieve the data, you needed to focus on your own health above all else. Such high stress was sure to be dangerous for your pregnancy – especially with a fainting episode. You needed to see a doctor, and you weren't the only one to think so.

*** * * December 29 * * ***

Over two weeks had passed since the funerals, with L and Watari having been dead for twenty-six days at this point. Despite your grieving, you and Matt were still stuck retrieving the files that Watari had deleted. Mello was sitting next to you, watching as his two closest friends worked. Near wasn't far either, his paranoia beginning to show. Everyone was currently in the investigation room as they waited around for your recovered files. Light was standing behind you, watching with pursed lips as you worked.

 _How could I let this go on for so long?_ He frowned, a forlorn look in his eye that he couldn't hide. _I was so certain that Kira was right – that I was right. Ridding the world of rotten people... that was my goal at the time – and I still believe that we need that – but that makes me a mass murderer. I've taken countless lives – and for what? Have things changed? Has life improved?_

He glanced down at you as you mumbled something about your task. _No, what I did is not in vain. I protected her... I protected so many people from those criminals – from those monsters; and I can do it again. I will rise up and be her everything... I will be a god! I will protect my people from evil if it means that I have to wipe it out myself._

An emerging part of his mind called out in a hushed whisper, _Then you'll be the only monster left._

Light couldn't help but narrow his eyes as he clenched his teeth. _It doesn't matter anyway. I know that they will test all the rules they can – especially the thirteen day rule – and I need the Death Note if I'm to avoid suspicion._

He glanced away as he stuck his hands in his pockets. _How could my plan just fail like that? Yes, Rem killed L, but Misa was supposed to get the Death Note for me. I never thought that I would actually break up with her._ He turned to you, a frown on his face and a twisting pain in his heart. _It's clear that she has had a greater effect on me than I thought._

Mello put a hand on your shoulder and you looked back at your boyfriend with a soft smile. The emotion in both your gazes matched – love, compassion, comfort – even Light could see it.

Kira couldn't help but scowl. _Damn him!_ He folded his arms and closed his eyes in an attempt to calm himself. _I can't have her by my side with him around, but I can't keep being direct about it. What was I thinking, upsetting her like that? She was sensitive even before he got her pregnant._ He opened his eyes and put a knuckle to his lips. _Getting her back will take time. What I need to focus on now is how to proceed without Misa..._

The young man shifted as he stared back at the screens you and Matt were working on. _Still, I wanted to get rid of her from the start – she was more of a liability than anything, especially with Rem's threats to my life – maybe it was for the better._ He narrowed his eyes. _I need to be careful, but I need a new set of eyes to survive._

Behind him, Matsuda was the first to speak above the murmurs, addressing the former Kira suspect. "So, I guess you're L now..."

You glanced between Near and Mello, waiting for one of them to speak up. In truth, you weren't sure which was really L now. Beside you, Mello narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked away and clenched his fists. You glanced to Near only to find Matt doing the same. Your partner was scrutinizing the blond, who turned to face Light.

"I don't know where the Hell you got that from," he growled, "but Near's L, not you."

Light's eyes widened momentarily before he backed down. "That's fine. I didn't believe his claims anyway. You worked with him the longest, so I'm not surprised that his true successor was one of you." 

You couldn't help but smile softly, although you weren't all that surprised. It was true that up until a few months ago, his main goal in life was to become L, but that just wasn't the case anymore. While Light had been trying to convince you otherwise, Mello really had been growing all along. Ever since he found out that he was going to be a father, he had changed. He was more mature now, making decisions that were more based in long-term effects, and clearly thinking about his general role in life. It seemed as if he finally saw that he didn't need to become someone else to be as amazing as he was.

It was only when Near stood that you turned your attention away from your boyfriend.

He looked around at the Task Force before announcing his first major decision as L. "We will go on as scheduled to test the Death Note on a criminal, starting with the thirteen day rule." He went on to give the name and location of the test subject to the group before requesting, "I need one of you to go there tomorrow to do it."

Aizawa argued, "We shouldn't be treating human life like it's nothing."

The current L twirled his hair around his fingers as he explained, "He will be given a lethal injection anyway for crimes he committed thirty years ago anyway. It is necessary that we test these rules."

"I'll do it," Mogi offered.

While the other detectives entered a discussion on the right of testing the supernatural murder book, Light closed his eyes, mind brewing up a new plan.

*** * * January 2 * * ***

One day had passed after Mogi tested the Death Note on the inmate. It was just past noon when you, Mello, and Matt stopped by Near's room as per his request. Once the door was closed, you turned to face your old partner.

"We need to test the thirteen day rule on someone else – someone Light isn't aware of," he explained. "If he's Kira – and I suspect that he is – he will be desperate knowing about the test. We know from L's interrogations of Rem that there are more shinigami out there, so there must be another Death Note hidden away for the original Kira to use."

As you recalled, the last Kira murders – other than those attributed to Rem – were committed by Sora Fukuda.

Near frowned slightly before looking up and adding, "I have the test subject set – a man named Marcos Silva, from Brazil. It should be done in three days, but Roger isn't ready yet. Without Watari... I need one of you to go test it for me."

Matt and Mello looked at each other as if silently conversing, sparing a brief moment to glance at you.

"I'll do it," you offered.

Near frowned. "No."

You furrowed your eyebrows. "Matt can get the rest of the data easily. I know that Rem did it, but Kira may still get his abilities back and try to kill everyone else. I need to help-"

"You need to rest," Mello argued. "You'll be safer here."

Before you could come back with something, Near added, "Marcos Silva is a serial killer who raped all his victims."

"Okay, there's no way in Hell you're going now," Mello decided. "I'll do it. When should I leave?"

"Tonight, preferably." 

You frowned, but kept your silence. Of course, this didn't go unnoticed by the blond.

"I won't be gone for long," he assured you.

Taking a deep breath, you nodded.

*** * * January 6 * * ***

Several days had passed, and Mello would be returning soon with the Death Note. Although you were happy to see your boyfriend again, you couldn't help but frown. Yes, what Kira – what Rem– did was wrong. Killing innocent people was not something that should be forgiven, and yet... you found yourself concerned about the disappearance of Kira. He hadn't returned since you retrieved the Death Note from Sora– over a month at this point–and crime rates were starting to increase again. You sighed. Maybe this rule was true after all and Kira was dead. If that were the case, then you couldn't help but feel a pain in your heart: Kira wasn't at fault for what wrongs he did, but he certainly managed to help the world during the time he was active.

Shaking your head, you returned your attention on recovering the last few pieces of data. After finally getting all the files back, you stood from your seat and stepped into the hallway. You were making your way upstairs to decompress when you noticed Light in the corridor. It took him longer than you expected to stop and smile at you, something not quite right about his demeanor.

"I was just looking for you," he began before outstretching his hand. "I wanted to talk. Will you come with me?"

Truth be told, you had noticed something off about his behavior ever since the Death Note was confiscated. You had caught the brunet thinking countless times throughout the past year, and he had always been cool, calm, and collected despite L's suspicion of him. In the past few weeks he had been slightly agitated, his cool façade giving way to subtle facial expressions while he was lost in thought. You avoiding shaking your head as your attention returned to his invitation.

You frowned as you looked away. "I'm sorry, but-"

"Please, Robin," he begged. "I'm sorry for everything I said to you before. I really had no idea that Mello would change like this." He sighed. "I know that you won't be on the case forever with your pregnancy. I just want to talk to you alone and set things right between us. Please, Robin."

You pursed your lips as you scrutinized him. His eyes were more expressive than usual, showing you desperation, sadness, and love... or something akin to it. A few moments passed before he began to awkwardly retract his offer, but when you nodded, he hesitated.

Quietly, you told him, "I'll go with you."

He smiled softly before thanking you and beginning to lead you outside.


	30. Deadline

White clouds obscured the sun as you walked beside Light, following his lead through the park. It was cold outside and the grass was dusted a faint coat of white – not unexpected at this point in winter. The trees lining your path were bare, giving an eerie air to the already desolate park. It was a strange sight after seeing the park in its peak season of spring. You smiled as you recalled how Watari had taken you out after your ankle finally healed. That was the second time you ran into Light. For just that one day, everything seemed peaceful. Everything seemed normal. In some ways, you wished that you could just go back to that time. From the corner of your eye, you watched a puff air flow from the brunet's lips.

Light smiled softly as he asked, "Do you remember when we first met?"

You let out a short chuckle. It seemed that you weren't the only one feeling nostalgic today. "Yes, it was almost a year ago now. You helped me down the stairs in the snow. It was very nice of you and it really warmed my heart." 

The two of you stopped before a small pond that was shadowed by a cherry blossom tree.

The Japanese teen gazed into the partially frozen waters as he confessed, "When I met you that night, I saw you as someone I wanted to protect. I know now how capable you are, but your broken ankle and other injuries led me to that instinctual reaction. I wanted to protect you from the dangers that nights bring." He smiled at you. "I'm happy that I got to know you, even if it was through such unintended events."

You returned his expression. "Me too. Ryuzaki never wanted me to talk to you, but I'm glad we did. You're my friend, Light." As you glanced away, you sighed. "I think that's why it hurt so much when you kept making those comments about Mello. Even after everything that happened between you and I, we still remained friends until then, and I still care about you that way." 

He pursed his lips before joining you with a sigh. "I'm sorry for everything that went wrong with our relationship. To be honest, I wish that we could try again, but I won't push anymore. I was jealous, but I really didn't think that he could grow up like he did. I wanted to protect you from the pain he might cause you. I still do, but I know that my insistence is what caused that rift between us. I can't apologize enough for that."

You smiled softly as you looked out to the pond. "Thank you."

There was a short silence between the two of you before he smiled and changed the subject. "Our time together at To-Oh wasn't all a waste, I hope. Even if you were only there for a mission, there were enjoyable times too."

You smiled softly as a memory surfaced in your mind. "Those little walks we took between classes were nice."

He smiled fondly. "They were. I would be open to doing that again if you would be comfortable with it."

You flashed him an apologetic smile as you placed a hand on your growing abdomen. "I would say yes, but even now I'm a bit tired. The further along I get, the worse it will be. Thank you for the offer, though."

"I understand." His expression went serious again as he looked you in the eye. "Robin, I've been meaning to ask you something lately, but I haven't had the chance until now." He paused for a moment before beginning. "When we last spoke about this, you were working as an undercover agent. Now that we're equals, I want your real, honest opinion. What do you think of Kira?"

You were silent for a few moments as you warily eyed him. This case had been going on for so long, and you were truly sick of lying all the time.

Exhaling a sigh, you confessed, "I know it's weird coming from someone who's supposed to catch him, but I supported his actions until he started killing innocent people. Even so, crime rates are still going down worldwide. We wouldn't have that without him. I just wish that he would only kill criminals, not those trying to catch him."

Light was silent for a moment before asking, "So if he only killed criminals, then you would fully support Kira?"

You tightened your lips into a thin line as you nodded. "It was inevitable for him to be selfish and try to prevent his capture – I understand that – but that kind of behavior leads to fear from the people he is trying to protect. It takes innocent lives, and that isn't right. Still... after what happened to Sora, I'm not sure that I would tell the others if I ever discovered him."

"I see. You truly have a pure heart." He grinned. "I can't say that I'm surprised given your identity as Robin Hood."

You frowned slightly. "So you did know..."

"It was fairly easy to figure out, even if everyone avoided saying it directly," he admitted. "You really are similar to Kira; you both used the tools you had at your disposal to work to protect the innocent – but L had to go and arrest you." He looked back out to the pond as he commented, "You seemed to be a slave to him. Even with him gone, you're stuck serving Near."

"Hopefully, it won't be for much longer..."

He glanced to your abdomen, prompting a nod from you.

"How did you find out?" you asked.

The brunet briefly furrowed his eyebrows. "I already told you how I deduced your situation."

"Not that," you corrected with a frown. "How did you find about Robin Hood?"

"The way I know about the truth of your identity is the same as the way I know about what happened before you came to Japan," he cautiously continued. "It seems that it really was Kira who protected you from Beyond Birthday's wrath." 

Even after so long, the name still sent chills down your spine. "While I did appreciate his help, it was too late by then..."

His eyes went wide. "What do you mean?"

You sighed. "What happened – what he did to me – already took hold of my mentally. Flashbacks of those nights haunted me constantly, and even now I know that I'm not the same... and I probably never will be."

He frowned. "I'm sorry. I'm certain that it is Kira's wish to keep you and all his people safe." 

"That would imply that you know what Kira thinks," you cautiously pointed out. "You know, your messages for the Task Force as Kira were really convincing."

Light was silent for a few moments as the corners of his lips extended into a wide grin, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Quite observant, aren't you?" he commented. "I am glad to know that you support me, because – as you clearly suspect – I am Kira." 

You couldn't help but frown and glance away, your voice growing hoarse as you asked, "Did you know that Rem would kill them?"

He frowned. "No. It wasn't in the plan. I just needed to get rid of the Death Note to maintain my innocence." He sighed as he looked away. "I'm sorry that you had to go through that pain."

You tightened your lips into a thin line as you silently nodded.

"I came to you because I need your help," Light explained. "I gave up the ownership of my Death Note to escape L's suspicion, which also meant giving up all my related memories."

"If you really believed that you weren't Kira, your act would become as convincing as possible," you deduced.

"Exactly. I only have my memories now because I was holding Sora's Death Note when Rem killed her – I became the owner of it when she died," he told you. "I had my shinigami, Ryuk, write fake rules in the Death Note: one being that if you don't write a name for thirteen days, you will die. I need to kill the criminal Near is testing that final rule on to get him off my back once and for all, but I can't do that because he's watching me very carefully."

You pursed your lips for a few moments before confessing, "He's testing that rule in secret on another criminal too. If only the first one dies, he'll know it was you."

Light frowned. "Do you know the identity of this one?"

"His name is Marcos Silva," you relayed. "He's on death row in Brazil."

Kira visibly relaxed. "Good." He glanced down at your abdomen again. "I hate to ask you this, but I need you to dig up my Death Note and use it on Near's test subjects. You need to make sure that they die of heart attacks on the correct days."

He hesitated as you frowned and looked away. "I... I don't know..."

Light gently took your hands in his. "Robin, please. I'll die if you don't do this for me. You know that I would do it myself if I could." As you tightened your lips into a thin line, he assured you, "If you do this for me, I swear that I will only kill criminals. No more agents. No more detectives. Just the rotten. I know that it bothered you, and I see now that it only made me seem more suspicious." He was silent for a few moments before repeating, "Please, Robin. I'm begging you."

You sighed and looked back up at him. "Okay... I'll do it."

He smiled. "Thank you." He went on to give detailed instructions on where to find the Death Note. "I know that we'll be cutting it close with the first one, but I want you to wait a few days to avoid suspicion... Oh, and bring an apple when you go."

"Okay, but what about today? Near will be suspicious of us being gone this long together," you pointed out.

"If anyone asks, we'll just say that we wanted to talk," he decided as the two of you began walking back. "Will you be continuing at To-Oh after the case ends?" 

"While it was nice to live more of a normal life for a period of time, I know that I will not have time for further schooling." You placed your hand on your abdomen. "I have other priorities now..."

*** * * January 9 * * ***

You made sure to time your escape when Near was taking a power nap, and you could only hope that no one would notice your absence. The moon was high, the time being well past midnight as you snuck around that densely-wooded area in search of the burial ground. Light's directions were impeccable as always, and you quickly found the spot you suspected the Death Note to be in. Without wasting another moment, you went straight into digging through the frozen dirt.

It was a struggle with your swollen wrists and the extra fifteen pounds concentrated on your abdomen, but you slowly made progress. After working down a few feet, the black corner of the notebook was revealed. You shivered in the cool air – perhaps partly in anticipation – as you set aside the shovel and reached for the weapon. The moment your fingers brushed against the book, a tall shinigami appeared right in front of you. A panicked gasp escaped your lips in the form of condensed breath as you backed away slightly.

You swallowed a gulp as you tried to halt your trembling. Ally or not, it looked terrifying.

"R-Ryuk?"

It grinned, tone masculine as it spoke. "Heh. This is a new twist..." He briefly glanced to a spot just above your abdomen. "Heh. So is that."

A few moments passed before you forced a nervous smile. "I really should have seen this coming. S-Sorry for freaking out like that."

He laughed for a few moments and nodded. "You handled it better than Light. I guess this means you met Rem already. I'm surprised to see you here," he admitted, addressing you with your real name. "I never thought that Light could actually bring you to his side after your act at To-Oh."

"So he was planning this for a long time..."

"Heh. Whatever you say, kid." Ryuk tilted his head. "Hey, do you have any apples on you? I've been stuck haunting this spot ever since Light gave up the Death Note."

Recalling Light's request a few days ago, you pulled out the fruit that you had hidden in your bag and handed it to the shinigami. Ryuk eagerly snatched it from your fingers and wolfed it down. After giving a satisfied hum, he turned his attention to you again.

"So, if you're here, what happened to the person you were calling the second Kira?" he asked. 

You frowned. "I don't think they're active anymore." 

"I guess that makes sense, otherwise you wouldn't be here." He paused for a few moments before asking, "So what else did I miss?"

You explained the events that occurred after Light's imprisonment to him: Rem trying to give the Death Note to Higuchi, Sora accidentally gaining ownership, Light joining the Task Force to find the new Kira, eventually catching her and retrieving the Death Note. You went on to add the deaths that had occurred, and about the new L.

"So if you're here now, I guess that means that this new L is testing the rules."

You confirmed his suspicions before taking the Death Note into your hands and brushing off the dirt. Even after being buried for so long, the cover was cool and smooth to the touch – the material not one you were familiar with. You reached into your bag and took out a pen as you opened the supernatural notebook.

"Ryuk, is it possible to set the date and time of deaths?"

"Yeah, but didn't Light tell you that?"

"I just wanted to be sure."

You took a deep breath as you hovered the tip of the pen over the clean page. You needed to write two names in the Death Note to keep Light's ruse alive – you needed to kill two people to do it, but you hesitated. While you fully supported Kira, you weren't him and you could never be him. You sighed as you put down the pen and closed the book.

"Heh. This is interesting," Ryuk commented.

You pouted as you looked up at the shinigami. "Will you write the names for me?"

He laughed. "You're on your own with this one. I don't take sides – I'm only here for the entertainment."

"Oh, sorry..." After taking a few moments to think, you mused, "I could always find the second Kira and ask for their help."

Ryuk was silent for a few moments before speaking. "Look, I'll help you out just this once since I'm hoping that you'll be entertaining for longer, but if the second Kira ever touches the Death Note again, she'll definitely kill you."

Your shoulders drooped. "Oh..."

With that idea out the window, you had to think of someone else to help you. Obviously Ryuk would be no help, but there was still one other person who had no problem killing with the Death Note: Kira himself. You could just ask Light to do it and give him the names and faces, but you would need to find a way to get the Death Note to him him – not to mention the fact that Near still suspected him. Unfortunately, this was the only option you had left unless you wanted to just suck it up and do it yourself. Still, he was your only hope at this point. Several long minutes passed before you sighed and placed the Death Note in your bag.

As you stood, Ryuk grinned and tilted his head. "Heh. This is _interesting!"_ You tensed as he asked, "Do you even have a plan?"

You frowned as you started to refill the hole. "I need to get this to Light."

"How're you going to do that?" the shinigami asked. "Aren't you surrounded by people trying to catch Kira? And don't they all know about the Death Note now?"

You scowled as you snapped, "If I had any other choice, don't you think I'd do that instead?! You're no help, and I can't do this myself!"

There was a short silence as you tensed and stared at the supernatural being. What the Hell was wrong with you, screaming at something that could kill you with barely any effort? Several moments passed before Ryuk burst out into guffaws.

"Not even Light talked to me like that," he explained with a wide grin. "Yes, you'll be very interesting to watch."

You raised an eyebrow as you set aside the shovel. "Watch?"

"Even if you won't kill anyone, you're still the owner of the Death Note," the shinigami told you. "And us shinigami have to haunt the humans who own our Death Notes until they die or return it to us. You're stuck with me, kid.”

“If that's true, then why didn’t Rem follow Light when he went home?”

He shrugged. “Beats me, but it’s pretty high up on the list of punishable offenses if we don’t do it – besides, I only dropped my Death Note into this world to entertain myself. I want to see what’s happening.”

Your shoulders drooped. "Will Light be able to see you, at least?"

The shinigami shrugged again. “Probably not since he doesn’t have possession of my Death Note.” He paused to think for a few moments. “Well, maybe. It depends if he used that page he had hidden in his watch, but that was from the Death Note that Rem haunts now – er… haunted, I guess.” He groaned. “This is so confusing.”

You pursed your lips. “What about the others? If the Death Note at headquarters is the one you used to haunt, would they be able to see you?”

“I guess if you could all see Rem, then maybe they won’t see me,” Ryuk told you.

You mentally cursed yourself for forgetting. “Right, I didn’t see you until I touched the one underground. I guess we’ll be safe in that way. I just need to figure out how to get it to Light...”

Satisfied with that for now, you continued to headquarters and snuck back into your room for the night. 

 

Your absence seemed to go unnoticed – largely thanks to you hacking the security systems as you went in and out, and Mello being on his flight back. Unfortunately, you were unable to ignore Ryuk's constant haunting presence – not that his frequent comments made it any easier. Still, you knew that you couldn't abuse your body any further by intentionally depriving yourself of sleep. Not only did your unborn child need you to remain healthy, but the only way you would have a chance of thinking clearly was being well-rested.

Unfortunately, you would not get your way. You suffered from a terrible headache partway through the night, but you were unable to take any pain medication for the remainder of your pregnancy. When it finally subsided, the sun was already starting to rise. You had managed to get only a few hours of sleep before your alarm went off. With a sigh, you rose from your bed and brushed away your messy bedhead. After gathering clothes for the day, you cast a wary glance to Ryuk, and moved to change in the bathroom _alone._

As you dressed yourself, you groggily went over your deadlines. Today was January 9th. Near's first test subject, Yuto Niigata, needed to die in three days, and the second, Marcos Silva, needed to die in ten days. Realistically, you only had two days to get the Death Note to Light, and you still had no idea how to do that – especially now that Mello should be back in Japan.

Speaking of your boyfriend, you heard the door to your suite open and your name being called out. Despite your distress, you couldn't help the small smile on your lips as you finished getting dressed and stepped into the main room. Mello grinned as you approached each other, you desperately trying to keep your smile as you caught the shinigami watching from the corner of your eye.

The blond held you close and kissed you. "I missed you."

Ryuk chuckled. "Wow. I definitely wasn't expecting that... And you're still helping Light? Humans are interesting." 

Your eyebrows twitched downward for a moment before you forced a smile and ignored the shinigami. "Me too. Texts really aren't much of a substitute, even if it _is_ still you."

As you pulled apart, Mello gazed into your eyes and frowned. "You promised that you'd try to rest."

You pursed your lips as you looked down. "I _tried,_ but... I keep getting headaches. It's getting harder to sleep."

Okay, so maybe that wasn't _entirely_ true, but it was part of why you were so tired right now. Your stomach churned as it became increasingly clearer that you wouldn't be able to share the truth with him. Not that he would be accepting if you told him.

He was silent for a few moments before gently stroking your hair. "Would it help if I stayed with you? I know that Ryuzaki's death bothered you more than you let on."

"I could say the same about you," you countered as you looked back up at him. "Honestly, it's really not that. They need you more than they need me right now. I just need to start keeping ice packs up here to grab when I need them."

Truthfully, you would have loved for him to stay with you, but that would make it impossible for you to get the Death Note to Light.

Your boyfriend carefully scrutinized your expression before nodding. "Alright." He took your hand as he added, "You shouldn't be standing for too long."

Your short smile was wiped away as Ryuk chimed in again. "Heh. How do you plan to get to Light now? I'm pretty sure they hate each other."

A brief glare in the shinigami's direction told him that you were well aware of the situation. Hopefully he took it as an added 'shut the Hell up'. By his chuckle, you could tell that he understood what you meant, but probably just didn't give a shit.

As you sat down next to Mello, he kept your hand in his. "It's been a long time since we went to that doctor."

You frowned. "Yeah... not since before the murders."

He gently squeezed your hand. "I've been thinking lately... We're halfway through the pregnancy right now. We should be able to learn the sex when we go again. I had Matt recover the contact info while you were working on everything else."

You nodded as you glanced away. "We should try to get whatever their next available appointment is. I think-"

Your eyes went wide as you felt a strong, but small pressure from inside your abdomen. It was a surreal reminder that you had something living and growing inside you.

Mello furrowed his eyebrows and had an urgent tone as he asked, "What's wrong?"

As your baby kicked again, the corners of your lips tugged into a smile. Unable to form the words to describe it, you pulled his hand and placed it on your abdomen. The child kicked a third time under his palm. Your boyfriend's eyes went wide as it registered in his mind, a wide grin forming on his lips as he softly looked down.

His words were a whisper, perhaps just thinking aloud. "I'm gonna be a dad." A few moments passed before he spoke again, his tone laced with shock and excitement. "You know... I knew it as a fact, but it didn't really hit me until now. We're gonna be parents..." He chuckled, his grin never fading. "Hopefully it takes after you more than me. Otherwise, we're gonna be pretty damn tired a lot."

Your lips began to quiver as tears streamed down your cheeks.

Mello froze and pinched his brows together as he wiped your tears. "What's wrong?"

You couldn't help but laugh at yourself as you admitted, "Nothing's wrong. I'm just really happy that you still want to help. I never expected you to be the type who wants to be a father."

He visibly relaxed as he smirked slightly and laughed. "It was never something I fantasized about – then again, romance was never on my mind growing up – but, yeah, I'm actually pretty excited about it."

You started bawling as you wrapped your arms around him. "I-I love you."

He held you close and stroked your hair. "I love you too."

*** * * January 11 * * ***

Two days had gone by, and your happy moments diminished with each passing moment, replaced with high stress as your deadline grew nearer. You loved having Mello around, but it was fucking impossible to get anywhere _near_ Light now. The only good thing about this situation was Ryuk being wrong, and Mello honestly letting you 'sleep' alone when he was downstairs working. Unfortunately, your boyfriend was well aware of your lack of rest, even going so far as to suggest leaving the case once the results for these tests came in – regardless of whether Light was Kira or not.

You were sitting in your room with your head in your hands and the Death Note in front of you. Tears threatened to stream down your cheeks as you mentally repeated over and over again that you had failed. Your friend was going to die because you couldn't get him alone.

Ryuk pipped up after a while to ask, "What are you going to do now? You only have tonight, right?"

Taking a deep breath, you sat up straight. It was time for your last resort.

You turned to the shinigami with a childlike pout. "Will you write the names for me?"

"Nice try, kid. I already told you: you're on your own."

It was then when you smirked, a teasing tone lacing your words as you added, "Not even for a barrel of apples?"

He was silent for a few moments. "I don't think I believe you."

"I have more money than you think. I could easily order it and have them shipped to a secret location," you told him. "I'll go for a walk with Mello and you can go to town while our backs are turned."

Ryuk put a finger to his chin as he contemplated your offer. "Hmm... I don't know... I would normally do it for the apples, but Rem died because she killed the real L and extended the second Kira's lifespan. If I killed these guys, that would probably extend Light's lifespan, and I'd die. So... you're on your own, kid."

You groaned as you nearly slammed your head on your desk, on top of the supernatural book that was causing you so much grief. That was your last idea, and it didn't work. How on Earth were you supposed to save your friend now?

Several minutes passed before you slowly pushed yourself up. When you and Light last spoke, he mentioned that he gave up ownership of the Death Note and lost his memories of it – bringing on the ultimate act of innocence. It must have been an act of desperation from being backed into a corner, much like the one you were in now. He had to make a choice between losing his own life, or temporarily sacrificing his memories and the title of Kira.

You glanced to Ryuk. The shinigami had reminded you at every chance that he was doing this for entertainment. While he wouldn't kill anyone for you, he would probably do what he could to make sure he wasn't bored anymore.

Pursing your lips, you opened the Death Note.


End file.
